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

According to WalletHub’s article breaking down the property taxes by state for 2024, the average American household spends about $2,869 on real-estate property taxes each year. Additionally, residents who live in any of the 26 states that have vehicle property taxes will also pay $448 per year. 

WalletHub broke down who pays the most property taxes relative to their state, check out where Idaho ranks below. 

Property Taxes in Idaho (1st=Lowest; 25th=Avg.):

  • Real-Estate Property Tax Rank: 10th
  • Vehicle Property Tax Rank: 1st
  • Real-Estate Tax on Median State Home Value: $1,872
  • Real-Estate Tax on Median U.S. Home Value: $1,591
  • Vehicle Property Tax on Best-Selling Car: $0
 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.

 

 

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)