Moving to Idaho from Louisiana
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Louisiana to Idaho — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Louisiana to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 1.5% more expensive than Louisiana. A $75,000 salary in Louisiana would need to be roughly $76,100 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Idaho Falls averages 59°F vs 77°F in New Orleans, making it significantly cooler. New Orleans and Idaho Falls are about 1,550 mi apart.
Is Idaho cheaper than Louisiana?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 10.7% less
Groceries
pay 8.8% less
Transportation
pay 0.4% less
Housing
pay 10.3% more
Childcare
pay 17.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.0% 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 → $76,100
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 3% less than cities in Louisiana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Louisiana to Idaho.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs significantly 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 significantly 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 significantly 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
Weather in Idaho vs Louisiana
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | New Orleans | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 65°/51°F (18°/10°C) | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/70°F (29°/21°C) | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/77°F (32°/25°C) | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 71°/57°F (21°/14°C) | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) |
View all months
| Month | New Orleans | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60°/46°F (15.6°/8.0°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) |
| Feb | 64°/50°F (17.9°/9.9°C) | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 71°/56°F (21.4°/13.3°C) | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) |
| Apr | 77°/63°F (25.2°/17.1°C) | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) |
| May | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.5°C) | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) |
| Jun | 89°/76°F (31.8°/24.4°C) | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) |
| Jul | 90°/78°F (32.5°/25.5°C) | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 91°/78°F (32.7°/25.7°C) | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) |
| Sep | 87°/75°F (30.4°/23.7°C) | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) |
| Oct | 79°/66°F (25.9°/18.9°C) | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) |
| Nov | 71°/57°F (21.5°/13.7°C) | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) |
| Dec | 63°/49°F (17.0°/9.3°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Louisiana?
Costs in Idaho and Louisiana are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,025 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 Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Louisiana?
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Louisiana leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Louisiana?
The average high temperature in Idaho Falls is 59°F, compared to 77°F in New Orleans. Idaho Falls receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while New Orleans gets 56.8 in.
