Moving to Arizona from Idaho
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Idaho to Arizona — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Idaho to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 12.7% more expensive than Idaho. A $75,000 salary in Idaho would need to be roughly $84,500 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 64°F in Boise, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Idaho to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $84,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 20.8% more
Groceries
pay 7.8% more
Transportation
pay 10.2% more
Housing
pay 21.0% more
Childcare
pay 6.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.7% 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 Arizona cost about 5% more than cities in Idaho.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Idaho to Arizona.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs better than Arizona 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 performs better than Arizona 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 generally does better on what about housing?, though Arizona leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho performs better than Arizona 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 Arizona 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
Idaho generally does better on family life, though Arizona leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Boise | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/57°F (30°/14°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boise | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/25°F (3.2°/-4.1°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.1°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 55°/34°F (12.6°/1.3°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/39°F (16.8°/4.1°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 72°/47°F (22.0°/8.1°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 81°/54°F (27.4°/12.1°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 91°/60°F (32.9°/15.8°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 79°/51°F (26.0°/10.6°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/4.9°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/-0.1°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 38°/24°F (3.1°/-4.4°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than Idaho?
No — Arizona is on average about 13% more expensive than Idaho. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Arizona?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,125 in Arizona on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Arizona safe?
Idaho performs better than Arizona across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Idaho?
Idaho performs better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Idaho?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 64°F in Boise. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Boise gets 11.7 in.
