Moving to North Carolina from Idaho
What to Expect
Considering a move from Idaho to North Carolina? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Idaho to North Carolina, you would find that North Carolina is 7.6% more expensive than Idaho. A $75,000 salary in Idaho would need to be roughly $80,700 in North Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Idaho and North Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $80,700
To maintain the same standard of living in North Carolina
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 5.4% more
Groceries
pay 23.6% more
Transportation
pay 6.9% more
Housing
pay 1.9% more
Childcare
pay 8.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.4% 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 North Carolina cost about 13% more than cities in Idaho.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in North Carolina compared to Idaho.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs better than North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho performs better than North Carolina 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 North Carolina leads in unemployment rate.
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 North Carolina 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 | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 56°/34°F (14°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 79°/56°F (26°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/57°F (30°/14°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 62°/40°F (17°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boise | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/25°F (3.2°/-4.1°C) | 51°/30°F (10.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Feb | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.1°C) | 55°/33°F (12.8°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 55°/34°F (12.6°/1.3°C) | 63°/39°F (17.3°/4.1°C) |
| Apr | 62°/39°F (16.8°/4.1°C) | 72°/47°F (22.2°/8.3°C) |
| May | 72°/47°F (22.0°/8.1°C) | 79°/56°F (26.1°/13.2°C) |
| Jun | 81°/54°F (27.4°/12.1°C) | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 91°/60°F (32.9°/15.8°C) | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.1°C) |
| Aug | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) | 87°/67°F (30.8°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 79°/51°F (26.0°/10.6°C) | 81°/60°F (27.4°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/4.9°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/-0.1°C) | 62°/39°F (16.9°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 38°/24°F (3.1°/-4.4°C) | 53°/32°F (11.6°/-0.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in North Carolina than Idaho?
On average North Carolina is around 8% pricier than Idaho, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to North Carolina?
Budget about $20,175 for 3 months in North Carolina (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is North Carolina safe?
Idaho performs better than North Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in North Carolina compared to Idaho?
Idaho performs better than North Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in North Carolina compared to Idaho?
The average high temperature in Charlotte is 71°F, compared to 64°F in Boise. Charlotte receives around 41.7 in of rainfall per year, while Boise gets 11.7 in.
