Pocatello, ID Cost Of Living

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Pocatello cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Pocatello	Idaho	National
Cost of living index	85	94	100
Index	Pocatello	Idaho	National
Goods & Services index	92	99	100
Groceries index	90	93	100
Health care index	91	96	100
Housing index	71	88	100
Transportation index	103	108	100
Utilities index	82	82	100

A general overview of the cost of living index for Pocatello, ID is displayed above. In Pocatello, ID, the overall cost of living index is 85, which is 9% lower than the Idaho average and 15% lower than the U.S. average. The following categories are used to calculate the overall cost of living index: goods/services (33%), housing (30%), groceries (13%), utilities (10%), transportation (9%) and health care (5%). From the list, it is clear that the categories of goods/services and housing are responsible for the largest portions of the overall cost of living index. As a general rule, everyday goods and services provide an accurate measure of the general cost of goods in any given city. In the case of Pocatello, ID, the city's goods and services are 7% lower than the Idaho average and 8% lower than the U.S. average.

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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.
The cost of housing in Pocatello is 29% lower than the national average.
Idaho general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average.
Idaho state income tax is 28% lower than the national average.

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Compare Pocatello, ID Cost of living To Other Cities

Salary Calculator

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

Using the salary calculator lets you compare the salary you earn in Pocatello, ID to what it is in other cities. It will let you know what your earnings would have to be in another city to have the same standard of living, as determined by the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the area you want to move to is higher than the cost of living in Pocatello, ID, you have to earn a higher income in order to still have the same standard of living. To operate the Pocatello, ID salary calculator, put in the name of the other city, then move the slider to the point that represents the current income. The salary calculator will take care of the rest and tell you how much more or less you must earn in the new city. A Total breakdown of the cost of living is also provided.

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 is by simply calculating the maximum that a person should spend on housing in Pocatello, ID, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The safest way to live in the city is to avoid spending more than 28 percent of the gross income that one earns on costs that pertain to housing and no more than 36 percent on all expenses and debts. Pocatello, ID has a median income of about $57,248 for people who own homes. Based on that number, a person should spend a maximum of $1,336 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 of their 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	1.6%	7.4%

For those who live in Pocatello, ID and want to know what the true cost of living is, they ought to look at both the Idaho income tax rate and the Idaho sales tax rate. By sales tax, we mean the taxes that are included whenever a person is purchasing any goods or services. The amount that is taxed depends upon the particular state, where some states have a sales tax of zero percent while others can have a tax higher than seven percent. In Idaho, the sales tax is 6%, while the most you'll pay in surtax is 8.5%. There is also income tax to consider, which is based upon the amount of money made in a year. Just like sales tax, income tax depends upon the particular state but also depends upon what tax bracket the person is in. Income tax for the state can be higher than nine percent in some states to zero percent in others. For those that live in Idaho, the income tax rate ranges between 1.6% to 7.4%.

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