Overall
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 94.7
- Idaho Falls
- 94.4
Diff -0.3 RPP
Lewiston-Auburn vs Idaho Falls
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Idaho Falls is 0.3% less expensive than Lewiston-Auburn.
0.3% less expensive
Idaho Falls, ID is 0.3% less expensive than Lewiston-Auburn, ME on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 94.4 vs 94.7). A $100,000 salary in Lewiston-Auburn buys about the same as $99,658 in Idaho Falls; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 94.7 (Lewiston-Auburn) vs 94.4 (Idaho Falls)
- $100k in Lewiston-Auburn ≈ $99,658 purchasing power in Idaho Falls
- Services drives the gap (-64.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ME:ID 94.7→94.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ME × ID
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
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.
Lewiston-Auburn
94.7
Cost Index
Idaho Falls
94.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Lewiston-Auburn, ME and Idaho Falls, ID are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Idaho Falls is 64.7 points lower. But rents move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Lewiston-Auburn to $99,658 in Idaho Falls, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 97.2
- Idaho Falls
- 96.2
Diff -1.0 RPP
Services
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 134.4
- Idaho Falls
- 69.7
Diff -64.7 RPP
Rents
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 69.0
- Idaho Falls
- 84.0
Diff +15.0 RPP
| Category | Lewiston-Auburn | Idaho Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 94.7 | 94.4 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 97.2 | 96.2 | -1.0 |
| Services | 134.4 | 69.7 | -64.7 |
| Rents | 69.0 | 84.0 | +15.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lewiston-Auburn 94.7
Idaho Falls 94.4
Goods
Lewiston-Auburn 97.2
Idaho Falls 96.2
Services
Lewiston-Auburn 134.4
Idaho Falls 69.7
Rents
Lewiston-Auburn 69.0
Idaho Falls 84.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lewiston-Auburn would need to be in Idaho Falls for the same purchasing power:
| In Lewiston-Auburn | In Idaho Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,829 | $-171 |
| $75,000 | $74,743 | $-257 |
| $100,000 | $99,658 | $-342 |
| $150,000 | $149,487 | $-513 |
$ in Lewiston-Auburn = in Idaho Falls
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (94.7 → 94.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Idaho Falls more expensive than Lewiston-Auburn?
Idaho Falls is 0.3% less expensive than Lewiston-Auburn. The overall cost index is 94.4 vs 94.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Idaho Falls equals $100K in Lewiston-Auburn?
A $100,000 salary in Lewiston-Auburn has the same purchasing power as $99,658 in Idaho Falls. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lewiston-Auburn and Idaho Falls?
Rents in Lewiston-Auburn are indexed at 69.0 while Idaho Falls is at 84.0 (national average = 100). Idaho Falls 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.