Overall
98.4
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Boise City, ID
Cost-of-living indicators for Boise City, ID, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 98.4
- Overall RPP
- #103
- of 387 metros
- 105.6
- Rents RPP
- $102K
- $100K national buys
Boise City ranks #103 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 3.1 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Barnstable Town
The verdict
Boise City costs less than 27% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 98.4, 1.6% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 70.7.
- bottom 73%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 70.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $101,635 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $98,391.
Boise City vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
98 Top 27% higher than 73% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Boise City cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
105.6 RPP
- Services
Services
70.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
98.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Boise City's strongest departure is services at 70.7; rents follows at 105.6. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Boise City's cost comes from
Metros near Boise City's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Boise City (Boise City, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 105.6
- Barnstable Town: goods RPP 97, rents RPP 90
- Sebastian: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 101.6
- Coeur d'Alene: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 105.6
- Merced: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 78.6
- Walla Walla: goods RPP 105, rents RPP 86.6
- Lancaster: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 93.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
70.7
Cheap
Rents
105.6
Above avg
Service-cost relief profile
How Boise City's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Boise City: their index is 70.7, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 98.4 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Coeur d'Alene, ID, Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, Santa Fe, NM. They resemble Boise City across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Boise City's overall index has risen by 3.1 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 3.1 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index jumped 4.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Boise City overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.3 |
| 2009 | 97.7 |
| 2010 | 95.5 |
| 2011 | 97.0 |
| 2012 | 96.7 |
| 2013 | 96.4 |
| 2014 | 95.9 |
| 2015 | 94.9 |
| 2016 | 93.2 |
| 2017 | 95.9 |
| 2018 | 93.6 |
| 2019 | 95.7 |
| 2020 | 93.6 |
| 2021 | 93.8 |
| 2022 | 94.2 |
| 2023 | 94.2 |
| 2024 | 98.4 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Boise City's overall RPP rose +4.1 points, from 94.2 in 2023 to 98.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 98.2 to 105.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$98,391
in Boise City, ID purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$49,196
$75,000 nationally
$73,793
$125,000 nationally
$122,989
$150,000 nationally
$147,587
$200,000 nationally
$196,782
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
20/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
20th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Boise City's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Coeur d'Alene, ID
Goods 96.2 · Services 70.8 · Rents 105.6 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.0 · Rents 104.6 Santa Fe, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 76.7 · Rents 108.0 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 78.6 · Rents 104.1 Great Falls, MT
Goods 96.0 · Services 73.0 · Rents 97.1 St. George, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 77.7 · Rents 98.1
ID-relative analysis
Goods prices places Boise City, ID near the bottom of ID's metros
Among the 6 ID metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Boise City, ID ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Boise City, ID only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 6
0th percentile in ID
Services prices
#3 of 6
50th percentile in ID
Rent prices
#2 of 6
67th percentile in ID
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within ID only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Boise City, ID: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (98.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (105.6 here).
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Rents 105.5 Portland-South Portland, ME Rents 105.2 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Rents 104.6 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Rents 104.5 Charlottesville, VA Rents 107.0 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT Rents 104.1 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Rents 103.9 Burlington-South Burlington, VT Rents 103.8
Other ID Metros
Coeur d'Alene, ID 98.3 Idaho Falls, ID 94.4 Twin Falls, ID * 92.1 Lewiston, ID-WA 91.2 Pocatello, ID 88.9
View all ID metros → Cheapest in ID → Most expensive in ID →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Boise City, ID's index of 98.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
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What this means for Boise City
How to read Boise City's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $101,635 in Boise City. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 70.7, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Boise City head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Boise City, ID?
Boise City, ID has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 98.4, meaning it is 1.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 70.7, and rents at 105.6. It ranks #103 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Boise City, ID to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $98,391 in Boise City, ID. Conversely, $100K earned in Boise City, ID has the purchasing power of $101,635 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Boise City, ID?
Rents in Boise City, ID are indexed at 105.6, which is 5.6% above the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Boise City, ID getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Boise City, ID's overall cost index changed by +3.1 points (from 95.3 to 98.4). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Boise City, ID?
The priciest category in Boise City, ID is rents at 105.6, 5.6% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 70.7, 29.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Boise City, ID?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Barnstable Town, Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, Coeur d'Alene. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Boise City, ID's 98.4.
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.