Overall
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial
- 105.8
- Boise City
- 98.4
Diff -7.4 RPP
Denver-Aurora-Centennial vs Boise City
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Boise City is 7% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial.
7% less expensive
Boise City, ID is 7% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.4 vs 105.8). A $100,000 salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial buys about the same as $93,013 in Boise City; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 105.8 (Denver-Aurora-Centennial) vs 98.4 (Boise City)
- $100k in Denver-Aurora-Centennial ≈ $93,013 purchasing power in Boise City
- Rents drives the gap (-41.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CO:ID 105.8→98.4
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BENCH-CROSS · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE CO × ID
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BENCH-CROSS Benchmark cross
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial would need to be in Boise City for the same purchasing power:
| In Denver-Aurora-Centennial | In Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,506 | $-3,494 |
| $75,000 | $69,760 | $-5,240 |
| $100,000 | $93,013 | $-6,987 |
| $150,000 | $139,519 | $-10,481 |
$ in Denver-Aurora-Centennial = in Boise City
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (105.8 → 98.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Boise City, ID is 7% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 7.4-point overall gap.
This route crosses the national benchmark: Denver-Aurora-Centennial is above 100 while Boise City is below it. That makes the move a change of price regime, not merely a rank swap.
Rents leads the difference, with Boise City 41.3 points lower than Denver-Aurora-Centennial. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial corresponds to $93,013 in Boise City.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial
- 101.0
- Boise City
- 96.2
Diff -4.8 RPP
Services
- Boise City
- 70.7
Diff -17.2 RPP
Rents
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial
- 146.9
- Boise City
- 105.6
Diff -41.3 RPP
| Category | Denver-Aurora-Centennial | Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 105.8 | 98.4 | -7.4 |
| Goods | 101.0 | 96.2 | -4.8 |
| Services | 87.9 | 70.7 | -17.2 |
| Rents | 146.9 | 105.6 | -41.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 105.8
Boise City 98.4
Goods
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 101.0
Boise City 96.2
Services
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 87.9
Boise City 70.7
Rents
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 146.9
Boise City 105.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
105.8
Cost Index
Boise City
98.4
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boise City more expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
Boise City is 7% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial. The overall cost index is 98.4 vs 105.8 (national average = 100).
What salary in Boise City equals $100K in Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
A $100,000 salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial has the same purchasing power as $93,013 in Boise City. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Denver-Aurora-Centennial and Boise City?
Rents in Denver-Aurora-Centennial are indexed at 146.9 while Boise City is at 105.6 (national average = 100). Denver-Aurora-Centennial has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.