Overall
- Napa
- 112.6
- Boise City
- 98.4
Diff -14.2 RPP
Napa vs Boise City
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Boise City is 12.6% less expensive than Napa.
12.6% less expensive
Boise City, ID is 12.6% less expensive than Napa, CA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.4 vs 112.6). A $100,000 salary in Napa buys about the same as $87,417 in Boise City; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 112.6 (Napa) vs 98.4 (Boise City)
- $100k in Napa ≈ $87,417 purchasing power in Boise City
- Rents drives the gap (-91.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CA:ID 112.6→98.4
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BENCH-CROSS · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE CA × 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 Napa would need to be in Boise City for the same purchasing power:
| In Napa | In Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $43,708 | $-6,292 |
| $75,000 | $65,563 | $-9,437 |
| $100,000 | $87,417 | $-12,583 |
| $150,000 | $131,125 | $-18,875 |
$ in Napa = in Boise City
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (112.6 → 98.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Napa, CA and Boise City, ID sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 14.2 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
This route crosses the national benchmark: Napa 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 91.9 points lower than Napa. 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 Napa corresponds to $87,417 in Boise City.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Napa
- 105.2
- Boise City
- 96.2
Diff -9.0 RPP
Services
- Napa
- 156.5
- Boise City
- 70.7
Diff -85.8 RPP
Rents
- Napa
- 197.4
- Boise City
- 105.6
Diff -91.9 RPP
| Category | Napa | Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 112.6 | 98.4 | -14.2 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 96.2 | -9.0 |
| Services | 156.5 | 70.7 | -85.8 |
| Rents | 197.4 | 105.6 | -91.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Napa 112.6
Boise City 98.4
Goods
Napa 105.2
Boise City 96.2
Services
Napa 156.5
Boise City 70.7
Rents
Napa 197.4
Boise City 105.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Napa
112.6
Cost Index
Boise City
98.4
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boise City more expensive than Napa?
Boise City is 12.6% less expensive than Napa. The overall cost index is 98.4 vs 112.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Boise City equals $100K in Napa?
A $100,000 salary in Napa has the same purchasing power as $87,417 in Boise City. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Napa and Boise City?
Rents in Napa are indexed at 197.4 while Boise City is at 105.6 (national average = 100). Napa 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.