Overall
- Raleigh-Cary
- 98.2
- Boise City
- 98.4
Diff +0.2 RPP
Raleigh-Cary vs Boise City
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Boise City is 0.2% more expensive than Raleigh-Cary.
0.2% more expensive
Boise City, ID is 0.2% more expensive than Raleigh-Cary, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.4 vs 98.2). A $100,000 salary in Raleigh-Cary buys about the same as $100,238 in Boise City; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 98.2 (Raleigh-Cary) vs 98.4 (Boise City)
- $100k in Raleigh-Cary ≈ $100,238 purchasing power in Boise City
- Services drives the gap (-18.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:ID 98.2→98.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × 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.
Raleigh-Cary
98.2
Cost Index
Boise City
98.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Raleigh-Cary, NC and Boise City, ID are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Boise City is 18.3 points lower. But services and goods 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 Raleigh-Cary to $100,238 in Boise City, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Raleigh-Cary
- 96.6
- Boise City
- 96.2
Diff -0.4 RPP
Services
- Raleigh-Cary
- 89.0
- Boise City
- 70.7
Diff -18.3 RPP
Rents
- Raleigh-Cary
- 103.5
- Boise City
- 105.6
Diff +2.1 RPP
| Category | Raleigh-Cary | Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.2 | 98.4 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 96.2 | -0.4 |
| Services | 89.0 | 70.7 | -18.3 |
| Rents | 103.5 | 105.6 | +2.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Raleigh-Cary 98.2
Boise City 98.4
Goods
Raleigh-Cary 96.6
Boise City 96.2
Services
Raleigh-Cary 89.0
Boise City 70.7
Rents
Raleigh-Cary 103.5
Boise City 105.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Raleigh-Cary would need to be in Boise City for the same purchasing power:
| In Raleigh-Cary | In Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,119 | +$119 |
| $75,000 | $75,179 | +$179 |
| $100,000 | $100,238 | +$238 |
| $150,000 | $150,358 | +$358 |
$ in Raleigh-Cary = in Boise City
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.2 → 98.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boise City more expensive than Raleigh-Cary?
Boise City is 0.2% more expensive than Raleigh-Cary. The overall cost index is 98.4 vs 98.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Boise City equals $100K in Raleigh-Cary?
A $100,000 salary in Raleigh-Cary has the same purchasing power as $100,238 in Boise City. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Raleigh-Cary and Boise City?
Rents in Raleigh-Cary are indexed at 103.5 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.