Overall
94.4
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Idaho Falls, ID
Cost-of-living indicators for Idaho Falls, ID, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 94.4
- Overall RPP
- #177
- of 387 metros
- 84.0
- Rents RPP
- $106K
- $100K national buys
Idaho Falls ranks #177 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Elmira
The verdict
Idaho Falls costs less than 46% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 94.4, 5.6% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 69.7.
- bottom 54%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 69.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $105,919 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $94,412.
Service-cost relief profile
How Idaho Falls's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Idaho Falls: their index is 69.7, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 94.4 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Knoxville, TN, Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA, New Orleans-Metairie, LA. They resemble Idaho Falls 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, Idaho Falls's overall index has stayed within 0.8 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.
Idaho Falls vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
94 Top 46% higher than 54% 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
Idaho Falls cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
84 RPP
- Services
Services
69.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
94.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Idaho Falls's strongest departure is services at 69.7; rents follows at 84.0. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Idaho Falls's cost comes from
Metros near Idaho Falls's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Idaho Falls (Idaho Falls, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 84
- Elmira: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 76.4
- Chambersburg: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 71.9
- Hagerstown: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 75.7
- Pittsburgh: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 72
- Daphne: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 89.2
- San Antonio: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 94.6
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
69.7
Cheap
Rents
84.0
Cheap
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2015, when the index jumped 7.0 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Idaho Falls overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.2 |
| 2009 | 93.9 |
| 2010 | 91.2 |
| 2011 | 93.7 |
| 2012 | 93.2 |
| 2013 | 91.8 |
| 2014 | 87.9 |
| 2015 | 94.9 |
| 2016 | 95.4 |
| 2017 | 95.4 |
| 2018 | 90.9 |
| 2019 | 92.0 |
| 2020 | 90.9 |
| 2021 | 90.3 |
| 2022 | 90.9 |
| 2023 | 90.8 |
| 2024 | 94.4 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Idaho Falls's overall RPP rose +3.6 points, from 90.8 in 2023 to 94.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 79.4 to 84.0. 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:
$94,412
in Idaho Falls, ID purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,206
$75,000 nationally
$70,809
$125,000 nationally
$118,015
$150,000 nationally
$141,618
$200,000 nationally
$188,824
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
43/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
43rd 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 Idaho Falls'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.
Knoxville, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 71.9 · Rents 82.8 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.7 · Rents 85.4 New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.2 · Rents 86.0 Bismarck, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 75.0 · Rents 84.0 Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Goods 96.2 · Services 74.1 · Rents 79.8 St. Louis, MO-IL
Goods 100.0 · Services 69.9 · Rents 79.0
ID-relative analysis
Goods prices places Idaho Falls, ID near the bottom of ID's metros
Among the 6 ID metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Idaho Falls, ID ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Idaho Falls, ID only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 6
0th percentile in ID
Services prices
#6 of 6
0th percentile in ID
Rent prices
#3 of 6
50th 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 Idaho Falls, 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 (94.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (84.0 here).
Other ID Metros
Boise City, ID 98.4 Coeur d'Alene, ID 98.3 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 Idaho Falls, ID's index of 94.4.
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
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Idaho Falls
How to read Idaho Falls'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 $105,919 in Idaho Falls. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 69.7, 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 Idaho Falls 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 Idaho Falls, ID?
Idaho Falls, ID has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 94.4, meaning it is 5.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 69.7, and rents at 84.0. It ranks #177 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Idaho Falls, ID to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $94,412 in Idaho Falls, ID. Conversely, $100K earned in Idaho Falls, ID has the purchasing power of $105,919 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Idaho Falls, ID?
Rents in Idaho Falls, ID are indexed at 84.0, which is 16.0% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Idaho Falls, ID getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Idaho Falls, ID's overall cost index changed by -0.8 points (from 95.2 to 94.4). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Idaho Falls, ID?
The priciest category in Idaho Falls, ID is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 69.7, 30.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Idaho Falls, ID?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Elmira, Chambersburg, Hagerstown-Martinsburg. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Idaho Falls, ID's 94.4.
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.