Moving to Idaho from Colorado
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Colorado to Idaho — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Colorado to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 19.0% cheaper than Colorado. A $75,000 salary in Colorado would need to be roughly $60,700 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Colorado to Idaho.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $60,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Idaho
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 16.5% less
Groceries
pay 13.0% less
Transportation
pay 12.1% less
Housing
pay 27.7% less
Childcare
pay 18.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.7% 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.
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 15% less than cities in Colorado.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Colorado to Idaho.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs significantly better than Colorado 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
Colorado performs better than Idaho across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Idaho performs significantly better than Colorado across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Colorado 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
Colorado 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
Colorado generally does better on family life, though Idaho leads in life expectancy.
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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Denver | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) | 87°/57°F (30°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Denver | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) | 38°/25°F (3.2°/-4.1°C) |
| Feb | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.1°C) |
| Mar | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) | 55°/34°F (12.6°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) | 62°/39°F (16.8°/4.1°C) |
| May | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) | 72°/47°F (22.0°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) | 81°/54°F (27.4°/12.1°C) |
| Jul | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) | 91°/60°F (32.9°/15.8°C) |
| Aug | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) |
| Sep | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) | 79°/51°F (26.0°/10.6°C) |
| Oct | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/4.9°C) |
| Nov | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) | 48°/32°F (9.0°/-0.1°C) |
| Dec | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) | 38°/24°F (3.1°/-4.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Colorado?
Yes — Idaho is on average about 19% cheaper than Colorado. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $15,175 in Idaho on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Idaho safe?
Idaho performs significantly better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Colorado?
Colorado performs better than Idaho across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Colorado?
The average high temperature in Boise is 64°F, compared to 65°F in Denver. Boise receives around 11.7 in of rainfall per year, while Denver gets 14.3 in.
