Cost of living in Boise, ID
The Boise City, ID metro area (844,979 people) ranks #72 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.
See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Boise with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Boise to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Los Angeles, CA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Boise: $77,700
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $77,700 in Boise, ID to match $95,000 in Los Angeles, CA ($17,300 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses California and Idaho state income tax; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Boise
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Boise
On a $90,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $68,483 after 2026 federal tax ($10,970), Social Security and Medicare ($6,885) and Idaho income tax ($3,662).
Housing
| Measure | Boise area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,628/mo |
| Median home value | $484,000 |
| Median property tax | $2,162/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,839 |
| Median household income | $88,695 |
Climate and jobs in Boise
In the Boise area the average January low is 26°F and the average July high 93°F, and the area has about 55 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 3.4% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $49,100 a year, 4% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 26°F |
| July high | 93°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 55 a year |
| Precipitation | 12 in a year |
| Snowfall | 18 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $49,100 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 391,790 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Boise Air Terminal station (USW00024131). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Boise
A single retiree spends about $2,960 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,113 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Boise
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Boise area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 80.5 of 100), with expected losses of about $245 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Idaho.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Boise?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $77,900 in Boise. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $65,120, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $121,678.
Is Boise expensive?
The Boise metro area's price level is 98.4 (U.S. = 100), #72 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 105.6, 6% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Boise?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Boise had a net gain of about 3,588 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Boise?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Boise area (Boise Air Terminal weather station), the average January low is 26°F and the average July high 93°F. The area has about 55 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 12 inches of precipitation a year and about 18 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Boise?
The Boise metro area's unemployment rate averaged 3.4% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $49,100 a year in May 2025, 4% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Boise?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 80.5). The highest relative risks are wildfire, winter weather, heat wave.
Compare Boise with other cities
Moving to Boise from…
Cities with similar prices
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Moving from Idaho