Boise, Idaho Cost Of Living

B

1%

Overall NAT. AVG.

3%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

1%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Boise	Idaho	National
Cost of living	99	94	100
Goods & Services	103	98	100
Groceries	94	91	100
Health care	103	96	100
Housing	99	88	100
Transportation	111	112	100
Utilities	82	82	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Boise is 6% higher than the Idaho average
The cost of living in Boise is 1% lower than the national average
Boise housing is 1% lower than the national average
Idaho general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Idaho state income tax is 50% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$71,014	$5,918	$1,657	$2,131
Renters	$32,242	$2,687	$752	$967

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Boise, ID, as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Boise homeowners, is $71,014. This would allow for a maximum of $1,657 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $32,242 which would result in a maximum of $752 to be spent on rental costs.

Idaho Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Idaho	6%	8.5%

Idaho Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Idaho	1.125%	6.5%

Goods & Services

Item	Boise	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$22.33	$20.27	10.1%
Beauty Salon	$36.66	$40.39	9.2%
Toothpaste	$2.39	$2.36	1.2%
Shampoo	$0.98	$1.08	9.3%
Movie	$10.20	$10.99	7.2%
Bowling	$18.83	$15.49	21.6%

Groceries

Item	Boise	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.93	$4.30	8.5%
Fried Chicken	$1.55	$1.40	11.0%
Milk	$1.90	$2.20	13.7%
Potatoes	$2.18	$3.22	32.2%
Pizza	$9.57	$10.74	10.9%
Beer	$9.80	$9.60	2.1%

Health Care

Item	Boise	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$134.62	$109.73	22.7%
Doctor	$138.86	$118.34	17.3%
Dentist	$88.67	$100.94	12.2%
Ibuprofen	$10.04	$9.93	1.1%
Lipitor	$475.65	$469.53	1.3%

Housing

Item	Boise	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$191,000.00	$184,700.00	3.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,345.59	$1,229.62	9.4%
Apartment Rent	$834.00	$949.00	12.1%

Transportation

Item	Boise	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.04	$2.71	12.1%
Tire Balancing	$57.30	$51.86	10.5%

Utilities

Item	Boise	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$127.16	$170.84	25.6%
Phone	$173.61	$187.18	7.2%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Kuna, ID	17,015	96	4.1%
Garden City, ID	11,423	98	1.8%
Robie Creek, ID	1,570	99	0.7%
Meridian, ID	88,247	102	1.9%
Star, ID	7,255	103	3.1%
Boise, ID	218,677	99	0.8%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Richmond, VA	216,773	101	0.6%
Richmond Hill, ON	215,407	n/a
Richmond, BC	222,489	n/a
San Bernardino, CA	214,581	106	5.9%
Des Moines, IA	212,859	85	14.8%
Boise, ID	218,677	99	0.8%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.