Moving to Idaho from Florida
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Florida to Idaho — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Florida to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 15.4% cheaper than Florida. A $75,000 salary in Florida would need to be roughly $63,400 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Idaho Falls averages 59°F vs 78°F in Jacksonville, making it significantly cooler. Jacksonville and Idaho Falls are about 1,900 mi apart.
Is Idaho cheaper than Florida?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 19.1% less
Groceries
pay 13.0% less
Transportation
pay 8.6% less
Housing
pay 23.6% less
Childcare
pay 5.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.8% more
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 → $63,400
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 22% less than cities in Florida.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Florida and Idaho stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs significantly better than Florida 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
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Florida leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Idaho generally does better on what about housing?, though Florida leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho performs significantly better than Florida across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Idaho generally does better on employment & economy, though Florida leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Florida 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
Weather in Idaho vs Florida
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jacksonville | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 88°/73°F (31°/22°C) | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jacksonville | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64°/44°F (18.0°/6.6°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) |
| Feb | 67°/46°F (19.5°/7.9°C) | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 72°/52°F (22.4°/10.9°C) | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) |
| Apr | 78°/56°F (25.4°/13.6°C) | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) |
| May | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) |
| Jun | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.7°C) | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) |
| Jul | 90°/73°F (32.4°/22.7°C) | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 89°/74°F (31.9°/23.1°C) | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) |
| Sep | 86°/71°F (30.1°/21.6°C) | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) |
| Oct | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.1°C) | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) |
| Nov | 73°/53°F (22.9°/11.8°C) | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) |
| Dec | 66°/46°F (19.0°/7.9°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Florida?
Generally yes: Idaho runs about 15% cheaper than Florida on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $15,850 in Idaho for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Idaho safe?
Idaho performs significantly better than Florida across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Florida?
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Florida leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Florida?
The average high temperature in Idaho Falls is 59°F, compared to 78°F in Jacksonville. Idaho Falls receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Jacksonville gets 51.7 in.
