Pocatello, Idaho Cost Of Living

Buy Rent

B+

Overall 15%

Goods & Services 8%

Housing 29%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2019 and was released from C2ER in January, 2020; 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	Pocatello	Idaho	National
Cost of living	85	94	100
Goods & Services	92	99	100
Groceries	90	93	100
Health care	91	96	100
Housing	71	88	100
Transportation	103	108	100
Utilities	82	82	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Pocatello is 9% lower than the Idaho average
The cost of living in Pocatello is 15% lower than the national average
Pocatello housing is 29% lower than the national average
Idaho general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Idaho state income tax is 54% lower than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Pocatello

See all the best places to live around Pocatello

Compare Pocatello, ID Cost of Living

See all Pocatello poll results

The best places in Idaho

Here are the best places to live in Idaho

10 best cities to buy a new house in Idaho

These are the 10 most affordable cities in Idaho

Check out the 10 safest cities in Idaho

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

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	$57,248	$4,771	$1,336	$1,718
Renters	$22,464	$1,872	$524	$674

A good way to judge both the affordability of the housing and the cost of living in Pocatello is by simply calculating the maximum that should be spent on housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The plan is to avoid spending more than 28 percent of the gross income on costs that pertain to housing and no more than 36 percent on all expenses and debts. Pocatello has a median income of about $57,248 for people who own homes. Based on that number, a maximum of $1,336 should be spent on expenses related to housing. Renters have a slightly different median income, which is $22,464. Based on this average, renters should spend no more than $524 on all rental costs if they want to maintain a non-impoverished standard of living.

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%	6.925%

Goods & Services

Item	Pocatello	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$12.30	$17.49	29.7%
Beauty Salon	$27.00	$38.17	29.3%
Toothpaste	$2.51	$2.32	8.1%
Shampoo	$0.96	$1.01	5.1%
Movie	$10.00	$10.72	6.8%
Bowling	$10.67	$13.86	23.0%

Groceries

Item	Pocatello	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.04	$3.90	3.6%
Fried Chicken	$1.03	$1.40	26.2%
Milk	$1.61	$1.96	17.9%
Potatoes	$1.58	$3.18	50.4%
Pizza	$9.99	$10.39	3.9%
Beer	$8.56	$9.23	7.3%

Health Care

Item	Pocatello	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$97.60	$106.34	8.2%
Doctor	$100.83	$115.25	12.5%
Dentist	$92.40	$98.38	6.1%
Ibuprofen	$7.94	$9.26	14.3%
Lipitor	$433.02	$466.47	7.2%

Housing

Item	Pocatello	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$135,500.00	$184,700.00	26.6%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,148.34	$1,273.32	9.8%
Apartment Rent	$620.00	$949.00	34.7%

Transportation

Item	Pocatello	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.82	$2.59	8.7%
Tire Balancing	$47.00	$48.90	3.9%

Utilities

Item	Pocatello	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$124.10	$167.60	26.0%
Phone	$168.15	$163.42	2.9%

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, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Fort Hall, ID	3,617	81	-19%
Inkom, ID	861	87	-13%
Arbon Valley, ID	691	85	-15%
Chubbuck, ID	14,326	89	-11%
Tyhee, ID	1,066	97	-3%
Pocatello, ID	54,592	85	-15%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Greenwood, IN	54,564	92	-8%
Mount Prospect, IL	54,552	118	18%
Normal, IL	54,534	97	-3%
Dublin, CA	54,523	189	89%
Rosemead, CA	54,507	143	43%
Pocatello, ID	54,592	85	-15%

Source: The Pocatello, ID cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2019.

Pocatello, ID Cost of Living

Find real estate listings

Find rental listings