Overall
- Fort Wayne
- 92.6
- Boise City
- 98.4
Diff +5.8 RPP
Fort Wayne vs Boise City
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Boise City is 6.3% more expensive than Fort Wayne.
6.3% more expensive
Boise City, ID is 6.3% more expensive than Fort Wayne, IN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.4 vs 92.6). A $100,000 salary in Fort Wayne buys about the same as $106,286 in Boise City; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.6 (Fort Wayne) vs 98.4 (Boise City)
- $100k in Fort Wayne ≈ $106,286 purchasing power in Boise City
- Rents drives the gap (+33.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IN:ID 92.6→98.4
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE IN × ID
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- 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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fort Wayne
- 94.3
- Boise City
- 96.2
Diff +1.9 RPP
Services
- Fort Wayne
- 86.2
- Boise City
- 70.7
Diff -15.6 RPP
Rents
- Fort Wayne
- 72.3
- Boise City
- 105.6
Diff +33.3 RPP
| Category | Fort Wayne | Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.6 | 98.4 | +5.8 |
| Goods | 94.3 | 96.2 | +1.9 |
| Services | 86.2 | 70.7 | -15.6 |
| Rents | 72.3 | 105.6 | +33.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Fort Wayne 92.6
Boise City 98.4
Goods
Fort Wayne 94.3
Boise City 96.2
Services
Fort Wayne 86.2
Boise City 70.7
Rents
Fort Wayne 72.3
Boise City 105.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Boise City is 33.3 points higher. But services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Boise City, ID is 6.3% more expensive than Fort Wayne, IN, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 5.8-point overall gap.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
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 Fort Wayne corresponds to $106,286 in Boise City.
Fort Wayne
92.6
Cost Index
Boise City
98.4
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Fort Wayne would need to be in Boise City for the same purchasing power:
| In Fort Wayne | In Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $53,143 | +$3,143 |
| $75,000 | $79,714 | +$4,714 |
| $100,000 | $106,286 | +$6,286 |
| $150,000 | $159,429 | +$9,429 |
$ in Fort Wayne = in Boise City
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.6 → 98.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boise City more expensive than Fort Wayne?
Boise City is 6.3% more expensive than Fort Wayne. The overall cost index is 98.4 vs 92.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Boise City equals $100K in Fort Wayne?
A $100,000 salary in Fort Wayne has the same purchasing power as $106,286 in Boise City. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Fort Wayne and Boise City?
Rents in Fort Wayne are indexed at 72.3 while Boise City is at 105.6 (national average = 100). Boise City 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.