Moving to Louisiana from Idaho
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Idaho to Louisiana — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Idaho to Louisiana, you would find that Louisiana is 1.5% cheaper than Idaho. A $75,000 salary in Idaho would need to be roughly $73,900 in Louisiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Baton Rouge averages 79°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 Louisiana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,900
To maintain the same standard of living in Louisiana
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 12.0% more
Groceries
pay 9.6% more
Transportation
pay 0.4% more
Housing
pay 9.4% less
Childcare
pay 15.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.3% 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 Louisiana cost about 3% more than cities in Idaho.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Idaho to Louisiana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs better than Louisiana 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 Louisiana leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Louisiana generally does better on what about housing?, though Idaho leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho performs better than Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 performs better than Louisiana 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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boise | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 67°/45°F (19°/7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 85°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/57°F (30°/14°C) | 91°/72°F (33°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 72°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boise | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/25°F (3.2°/-4.1°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| Feb | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.1°C) | 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.9°C) |
| Mar | 55°/34°F (12.6°/1.3°C) | 73°/50°F (22.6°/10.2°C) |
| Apr | 62°/39°F (16.8°/4.1°C) | 79°/57°F (26.3°/13.8°C) |
| May | 72°/47°F (22.0°/8.1°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.4°C) |
| Jun | 81°/54°F (27.4°/12.1°C) | 91°/71°F (32.7°/21.9°C) |
| Jul | 91°/60°F (32.9°/15.8°C) | 92°/74°F (33.4°/23.2°C) |
| Aug | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) | 92°/73°F (33.6°/23.0°C) |
| Sep | 79°/51°F (26.0°/10.6°C) | 89°/69°F (31.5°/20.3°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/4.9°C) | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/-0.1°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Dec | 38°/24°F (3.1°/-4.4°C) | 64°/43°F (17.8°/5.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Louisiana than Idaho?
Costs in Louisiana and Idaho are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Louisiana?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,475 in Louisiana on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Louisiana safe?
Idaho performs better than Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Louisiana compared to Idaho?
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Louisiana leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Louisiana compared to Idaho?
The average high temperature in Baton Rouge is 79°F, compared to 64°F in Boise. Baton Rouge receives around 60.6 in of rainfall per year, while Boise gets 11.7 in.
