Overall
88.9
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Pocatello, ID
Cost-of-living indicators for Pocatello, ID, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 88.9
- Overall RPP
- #314
- of 387 metros
- 66.4
- Rents RPP
- $112K
- $100K national buys
Pocatello ranks #314 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 5.2 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Mansfield
The verdict
Pocatello costs less than 81% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 88.9, 11.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 66.4.
- bottom 19%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 69.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $112,478 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $88,906.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$88,906
in Pocatello, ID purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,453
$75,000 nationally
$66,680
$125,000 nationally
$111,133
$150,000 nationally
$133,359
$200,000 nationally
$177,812
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
75/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
75th 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.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 5.2 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2016, when the index dropped 5.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Pocatello overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 94.1 |
| 2009 | 89.2 |
| 2010 | 90.3 |
| 2011 | 88.0 |
| 2012 | 91.0 |
| 2013 | 91.7 |
| 2014 | 89.5 |
| 2015 | 94.6 |
| 2016 | 89.0 |
| 2017 | 92.0 |
| 2018 | 89.1 |
| 2019 | 87.9 |
| 2020 | 89.0 |
| 2021 | 88.5 |
| 2022 | 87.3 |
| 2023 | 88.6 |
| 2024 | 88.9 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Pocatello's overall RPP rose +0.3 points, from 88.6 in 2023 to 88.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 71.1 to 66.4. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Pocatello's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Pocatello: rents index at 66.4, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 88.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Johnson City, TN, Minot, ND, Elizabethtown, KY. They resemble Pocatello 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, Pocatello's overall index has fallen by 5.2 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.
Pocatello vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
89 Bottom 19% higher than 19% 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
Pocatello cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
66.4 RPP
- Services
Services
69.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
88.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Pocatello's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 66.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 69.8. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Pocatello's cost comes from
Metros near Pocatello's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Pocatello (Pocatello, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 66.4
- Mansfield: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 54.9
- Wichita: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 66.2
- Cedar Rapids: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 71.4
- Ames: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 69.2
- Topeka: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 65
- Weirton: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 52.4
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
69.8
Cheap
Rents
66.4
Cheap
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Pocatello, ID's index of 88.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Pocatello'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.
Johnson City, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 71.9 · Rents 63.2 Minot, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 72.9 · Rents 63.2 Elizabethtown, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 74.6 · Rents 66.7 Tulsa, OK
Goods 93.8 · Services 73.9 · Rents 68.2 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
Goods 93.6 · Services 74.6 · Rents 68.3 Bowling Green, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.2 · Rents 63.4
ID-relative analysis
Goods prices places Pocatello, ID near the bottom of ID's metros
Among the 6 ID metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Pocatello, ID ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Pocatello, ID only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 6
0th percentile in ID
Services prices
#5 of 6
17th percentile in ID
Rent prices
#6 of 6
0th 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 Pocatello, 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 (88.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (66.4 here).
Other ID Metros
Boise City, ID 98.4 Coeur d'Alene, ID 98.3 Idaho Falls, ID 94.4 Twin Falls, ID * 92.1 Lewiston, ID-WA 91.2
View all ID metros → Cheapest in ID → Most expensive in ID →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Pocatello
How to read Pocatello'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 $112,478 in Pocatello. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 66.4, 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 Pocatello 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 Pocatello, ID?
Pocatello, ID has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 88.9, meaning it is 11.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 69.8, and rents at 66.4. It ranks #314 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Pocatello, ID to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $88,906 in Pocatello, ID. Conversely, $100K earned in Pocatello, ID has the purchasing power of $112,478 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Pocatello, ID?
Rents in Pocatello, ID are indexed at 66.4, which is 33.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Pocatello, ID getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Pocatello, ID's overall cost index changed by -5.2 points (from 94.1 to 88.9). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Pocatello, ID?
The priciest category in Pocatello, ID is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 66.4, 33.6% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Pocatello, ID?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Mansfield, Wichita, Cedar Rapids. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Pocatello, ID's 88.9.
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.