Moving to Idaho from Iowa
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Iowa to Idaho — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Iowa to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 7.5% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $80,600 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Iowa to Idaho.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $80,600
To maintain the same standard of living in Idaho
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 6.6% less
Groceries
pay 0.4% more
Transportation
pay 10.8% more
Housing
pay 21.7% more
Childcare
pay 4.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.1% 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 4% more than cities in Iowa.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Iowa to Idaho.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs significantly better than Iowa 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 Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa 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
Iowa generally does better on infrastructure, though Idaho leads in internet access.
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
Iowa generally does better on employment & economy, though Idaho leads in median household income.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Iowa 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 | Des Moines | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 87°/57°F (30°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 38°/25°F (3.2°/-4.1°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.1°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 55°/34°F (12.6°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 62°/39°F (16.8°/4.1°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 72°/47°F (22.0°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 81°/54°F (27.4°/12.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 91°/60°F (32.9°/15.8°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 79°/51°F (26.0°/10.6°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/4.9°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 48°/32°F (9.0°/-0.1°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 38°/24°F (3.1°/-4.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Iowa?
No — Idaho is on average about 7% more expensive than Iowa. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $20,150 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 Iowa across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Iowa?
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Boise is 64°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Boise receives around 11.7 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
