BOISE IDAHO COST OF LIVING

How does Boise compare to other cities? Check out these metrics. The numbers don't lie!

 

Living Here Is Priceless

  • Cheapest State to Live In (CNBC)
  • Best Kept Secret in NW (USA Today)
  • Most Affordable city in the Northwest
  • Best Place to Retire (Forbes)
  • Top 25 Best Performing Cities (Livability)
  • Best Cities for Savvy Young Families (Credit Donkey)

 

Cost of Living in Boise Comparison

  • Phoenix, AZ  +2%
  • Miami, FL  +23%
  • Anchorage, AK  +38%
  • Dallas, TX  +10%
  • NewYork, NY  +147%
  • Chicago, IL  +33%
  • Los Angeles  +161%
  • Seattle  +171%

 

5 Things You can do in Boise without opening Your Wallet
  1. MK Nature Center
  2. Boise Greenbelt
  3. Table Rock Lookout
  4. Camels Back Park
  5. Quinn's Pond & Whitewater Park

 

Here is a quick analysis. In fact, based on averages for housing, utilities, health care, transportation, groceries, and other services, Idaho’s cost of living is one of the lowest in the western states, according to the ACCRA Cost of Living Index:

  • The cost of living is 94.7 percent of the national average
  • The average cost of a home in 2014 was 86.5 percent of the national average
  • Consistently ranked by Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. Magazine as one of the best places in the U.S. to live and work

 

Residential Water Comparison

Avg Consumption
(gallons/ person)		Avg Electric Prices
(cents/kWh)		Avg Monthly Electric Bill
Idaho 957 $9.93 $95.01
California 557 $16.99 $94.59
Oregon 902 $10.66 $96.24
Utah 744 $10.88 $80.92
Washington 964 $9.09 $87.64
US  Avg 901 12.62 $114.03
Source: http://www.eia.gov/electricity/sales_revenue_price/xls/table5_a.xlsx Compare Electric Rates

Property Taxes

 Effective Real-Estate Tax RateAnnual Taxes on $176K Home*State Median Home ValueAnnual Taxes on Home Priced at State Median Value
California 0.81% $1,429 $371,400 $3,021
Idaho 0.77% $1,354 $160,500 $1,237
Oregon 1.08% $1,890 $234,100 $2,518
Utah 0.69% $1,210 $212,500 $1,463
Washington 1.08% $1,903 $257,200 $2,785

*$175,700 is the median home value in the U.S.

National average utility cost

UtilityElectricityNatural GasInternet
(60Mbps)		CableWaterTotal CostsNational Ranking
National Average Cost/ Month $98.32 $100.33 $62.33 $100.00 $40.00 $422.08  
Idaho $98.32 $52.89 $57.00 $100.00 $40.00 $343.71 #50
California $176.26 $63.16 $58.43 $100.00 $40.00 $437.85 #15
Hawaii $300.04 $232.40 $58.62 $100.00 $40.00 $730.86 #1
New York $173.84 $102.76 $60.71 $100.00 $40.00 $477.31 #5
Florida $101.27 $135.72 $72.00 $100.00 $40.00 $448.99 #12
Michigan $143.34 $68.93 $58.45 $100.00 $40.00 $410.72 #30
Mississippi $98.31 $89.58 $63.57 $100.00 $40.00 $391.46 #40

 

*According to the US Department of Energy, the typical US family spends at least $2,200 per year on energy bills—with nearly half of that paying for heating and cooling. This might seem like a large amount, but these costs all depend on where you live, the size of your house or apartment, and (most importantly) whether you make smart decisions about conserving energy.

 

The top 10 least expensive states for utilities

  1. Idaho
  2. Utah
  3. Montana
  4. Washington
  5. Nevada
  6. Louisiana
  7. Oregon
  8. South Dakota
  9. Arkansas
  10. Wisconsin

If you’re hoping to save money on utilities, look no further than the Gem State. At $343.71, Idaho’s total average utility bill is the lowest in the country. Natural gas is especially affordable with an average cost of $52.89 per month.

 

Utility Price Comparison

 Residential
/kWh		Avg Monthly Bill Residential
Boise 8.55¢ $107.23
San Diego 16.35¢ $314.87
San Francisco 15.34¢ $283.25
Los Angeles $13.03  
Portland $10.72 $112.73
Salt Lake $10.31 $117.83
Source Electricity Local Idaho Power

 

Sales Taxe Rates

 Sales Tax
California 7.50%
Idaho 6.00%
Oregon 0.00%
Utah 4.70%
Washington 6.50%

Source: Sales Tax Institute

State & Local Tax Collections per Capita

State Collections
per Capita		 Rank
U.S.
Average		 $4,675  
N.D. $9,746 1
N.Y. $8,410 2
Alaska $7,555 3
Conn. $7,249 4
N.J. $6,448 5
Mass. $6,014 6
Wyo. $5,943 7
Hawaii $5,705 8
Minn. $5,640 9
Md. $5,601 10
Vt. $5,542 11
Ill. $5,498 12
Calif. $5,449 13
R.I. $5,170 14
Nebr. $4,878 15
Maine $4,807 16
Pa. $4,707 17
Wis. $4,583 18
Wash. $4,557 19
Iowa $4,424 20
Del. $4,407 21
Kans. $4,378 22
Colo. $4,365 23
N.H. $4,327 24
Ohio $4,207 25
Va. $4,204 26
Ore. $4,100 27
Tex. $4,045 28
N.M. $3,967 29
W.Va. $3,956 30
La. $3,889 31
Nev. $3,875 32
Mont. $3,840 33
Mich. $3,774 34
Ark. $3,756 35
Ind. $3,748 36
S.D. $3,684 37
N.C. $3,622 38
Ky. $3,607 39
Okla. $3,565 40
Utah $3,503 41
Miss. $3,502 42
Mo. $3,473 43
Ga. $3,377 44
Ariz. $3,346 45
Fla. $3,322 46
Idaho $3,235 47
S.C. $3,220 48
Tenn. $3,092 49
Ala. $3,002 50
D.C. $9,667 (2)

Property Taxes Paid  as a Percentage of Owner-Occupied Housing Value

State Effective Tax Rate Rank
U.S. Average 1.08%  
Ala. 0.38% 49
Alaska 0.97% 23
Ariz. 0.66% 38
Ark. 0.59% 42
Calif. 0.72% 36
Colo. 0.55% 44
Conn. 1.65% 6
Del. 0.56% 43
Fla. 0.93% 24
Ga. 0.89% 26
Hawaii 0.28% 50
Idaho 0.75% 34
Ill. 1.97% 3
Ind. 0.84% 28
Iowa 1.43% 12
Kans. 1.29% 15
Ky. 0.78% 32
La. 0.48% 48
Maine 1.24% 16
Md. 1.00% 20
Mass. 1.13% 18
Mich. 1.43% 13
Minn. 1.08% 19
Miss. 0.61% 41
Mo. 0.98% 21
Mont. 0.75% 33
Nebr. 1.59% 8
Nev. 0.68% 37
N.H. 1.99% 2
N.J. 2.13% 1
N.M. 0.66% 39
N.Y. 1.38% 14
N.C. 0.82% 31
N.D. 0.88% 27
Ohio 1.57% 9
Okla. 0.83% 30
Ore. 0.98% 22
Pa. 1.46% 11
R.I. 1.51% 10
S.C. 0.55% 45
S.D. 1.19% 17
Tenn. 0.72% 35
Tex. 1.63% 7
Utah 0.64% 40
Vt. 1.71% 5
Va. 0.83% 29
Wash. 0.93% 25
W.Va. 0.53% 47
Wis. 1.72% 4
Wyo. 0.54% 46
D.C. 0.57% (43)