The communities in the Palliser Region are proud of their reasonable cost of living. In a 2005 survey conducted by Alberta Finance - Statistics, the communities of Brooks, Hanna and Medicine Hat were shown to be relatively reasonable places to live in terms of the cost of living.

This 2005 Place to Place Price Comparison Survey 10 of 37 selected Alberta communities was conducted to provide an Edmonton-based comparison for a common basket of goods and services in food and non-food items. For example, the survey showed that the food prices in the City of Medicine Hat were 1.5% cheaper than in the City of Edmonton, 1.1% cheaper than in the City of Calgary, and 5.3% cheaper than in the City of Lethbridge.

The results for the three Palliser Region communities included in this survey can be obtained by clicking here.

The City of Edmonton conducted a "Residential Property Taxes and Utility Charges Survey" in 2009, in which property taxes and utility charges for an average, single-detached house in major Canadian cities were surveyed. The results relative to the City of Medicine Hat are:

• Lowest property tax, including municipal and school taxes of $1,541 for a single detached house
• Second lowest average property tax, at $1,758 for a single detached house
• Second lowest median property tax, at $1,814 for a single detached house
• Third lowest total property tax per person at $1,103
• Third lowest combined total property tax and utility charges at $3,362
• Third lowest combined municipal property tax and utility charges at $2,751

See full report here.