Overall
- Pittsburgh
- 94.7
- Idaho Falls
- 94.4
Diff -0.3 RPP
Pittsburgh vs Idaho Falls
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Idaho Falls is 0.3% less expensive than Pittsburgh.
0.3% less expensive
Idaho Falls, ID is 0.3% less expensive than Pittsburgh, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 94.4 vs 94.7). A $100,000 salary in Pittsburgh buys about the same as $99,726 in Idaho Falls; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 94.7 (Pittsburgh) vs 94.4 (Idaho Falls)
- $100k in Pittsburgh ≈ $99,726 purchasing power in Idaho Falls
- Services drives the gap (-38.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:ID 94.7→94.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × 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.
Pittsburgh
94.7
Cost Index
Idaho Falls
94.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Pittsburgh, PA 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 38.1 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 Pittsburgh to $99,726 in Idaho Falls, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Pittsburgh
- 100.7
- Idaho Falls
- 96.2
Diff -4.5 RPP
Services
- Pittsburgh
- 107.7
- Idaho Falls
- 69.7
Diff -38.1 RPP
Rents
- Pittsburgh
- 72.0
- Idaho Falls
- 84.0
Diff +12.0 RPP
| Category | Pittsburgh | Idaho Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 94.7 | 94.4 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.2 | -4.5 |
| Services | 107.7 | 69.7 | -38.1 |
| Rents | 72.0 | 84.0 | +12.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Pittsburgh 94.7
Idaho Falls 94.4
Goods
Pittsburgh 100.7
Idaho Falls 96.2
Services
Pittsburgh 107.7
Idaho Falls 69.7
Rents
Pittsburgh 72.0
Idaho Falls 84.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Pittsburgh would need to be in Idaho Falls for the same purchasing power:
| In Pittsburgh | In Idaho Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,863 | $-137 |
| $75,000 | $74,795 | $-205 |
| $100,000 | $99,726 | $-274 |
| $150,000 | $149,590 | $-410 |
$ in Pittsburgh = 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 Pittsburgh?
Idaho Falls is 0.3% less expensive than Pittsburgh. The overall cost index is 94.4 vs 94.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Idaho Falls equals $100K in Pittsburgh?
A $100,000 salary in Pittsburgh has the same purchasing power as $99,726 in Idaho Falls. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Pittsburgh and Idaho Falls?
Rents in Pittsburgh are indexed at 72.0 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.