Idaho vs. Utah Cost of Living Summary

Idaho is 3.8% cheaper than Utah.

Restaurants
pay 2.9% less in Idaho
Groceries
pay 1.1% more in Idaho
Transportation
pay 18.8% less in Idaho
Housing
pay 1.2% less in Idaho
Childcare
pay 3.5% more in Idaho
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.4% more in Idaho
Clothing
pay 14.2% less in Idaho

The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, and groceries in Idaho are more expensive than in Utah. Expenses including transportation, clothing, restaurants, and housing are lower in Idaho.

Idaho vs. Utah Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Idaho instead of Utah, you would:

pay 2.9% less for restaurants

 
Utah
Idaho
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.72
 
$15.93
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.61
 
$10.58
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.40
 
$2.18
 

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pay 1.1% more for groceries

 
Utah
Idaho
Bread
1 loaf
$3.41
 
$3.48
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.00
 
$7.28
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.42
 
$3.38
 

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pay 18.8% less for transportation

 
Utah
Idaho
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.93
 
$3.94
 
Monthly public transit pass $84.58
 
$35.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,036.78
 
$34,965.33
 

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pay 1.2% less for housing

 
Utah
Idaho
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.28
 
$69.52
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,414.88
 
$1,392.92
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,168.01
 
$1,128.43
 

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pay 3.5% more for childcare

 
Utah
Idaho
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,067.65
 
$1,097.22
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $19,849.17
 
$20,698.52
 

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pay 8.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Utah
Idaho
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.61
 
$5.12
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.70
 
$5.02
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.92
 
$9.15
 

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pay 14.2% less for clothing

 
Utah
Idaho
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$54.35
 
$46.26
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.63
 
$42.23
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$98.47
 
$83.09
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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