Moving to Idaho from California
What to Expect
Considering a move from California to Idaho? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from California to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 29.1% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $53,100 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Idaho Falls averages 59°F vs 75°F in Los Angeles, making it significantly cooler. Los Angeles and Idaho Falls are about 730 mi apart.
Is Idaho cheaper than California?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 23.4% less
Groceries
pay 24.2% less
Transportation
pay 23.6% less
Housing
pay 39.0% less
Childcare
pay 33.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.5% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Idaho?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $53,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Idaho
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Idaho cost about 32% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Idaho compared to California.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Idaho performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Idaho leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Idaho leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs better than Idaho across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Idaho vs California
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Los Angeles | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Los Angeles | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) |
| Feb | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) |
| May | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) |
| Jun | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) |
| Sep | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) |
| Oct | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) |
| Nov | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) |
| Dec | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than California?
On average Idaho is about 29% less expensive than California, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
Budget about $13,275 for 3 months in Idaho (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Idaho safe?
Idaho performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to California?
The average high temperature in Idaho Falls is 59°F, compared to 75°F in Los Angeles. Idaho Falls receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Los Angeles gets 14.9 in.
