Cost of living comparison
compared to
Idaho vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Idaho is 5.1% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.5% more in Idaho
- Groceries
-
pay 14.3% less in Idaho
- Transportation
-
pay 7.4% less in Idaho
- Housing
-
pay 9.4% less in Idaho
- Childcare
-
pay 16.1% less in Idaho
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.9% more in Idaho
- Clothing
-
pay 3.1% less in Idaho
The cost of entertainment and sports and restaurants in Idaho are more expensive than in North Carolina. Expenses including childcare, groceries, housing, transportation, and clothing are lower in Idaho.
Idaho vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Idaho instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 4.5% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
Idaho
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$18.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$10.84
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.92
|
|
North Carolina vs. Idaho - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.3% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
Idaho
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$6.29
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$3.49
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$4.45
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$5.53
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.99
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$0.96
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$0.96
|
|
North Carolina vs. Idaho - Cost of groceries
pay 7.4% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
Idaho
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$3.37
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$31,942.61
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$18.58
|
|
North Carolina vs. Idaho - Cost of transportation
pay 9.4% less for housing
|
North Carolina
|
Idaho
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$70.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$1,332.81
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$1,136.20
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$114.28
|
|
North Carolina vs. Idaho - Cost of housing
pay 16.1% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
Idaho
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$1,051.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$20,763.73
|
|
North Carolina vs. Idaho - Cost of childcare
pay 9.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
Idaho
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$5.42
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$8.58
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$58.69
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$13.79
|
|
North Carolina vs. Idaho - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.1% less for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
Idaho
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$48.49
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$41.89
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$83.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$92.97
|
|
North Carolina vs. Idaho - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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