Moving to Idaho from Oregon
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Oregon to Idaho — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Oregon to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 1.1% cheaper than Oregon. A $75,000 salary in Oregon would need to be roughly $73,721 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Oregon to Idaho.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,721
To maintain the same standard of living in Idaho
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.5% less
Groceries
pay 3.7% less
Transportation
pay 8.7% less
Housing
pay 9.1% less
Childcare
pay 13.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.3% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Oregon and Idaho stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs significantly better than Oregon 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
Oregon generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Idaho performs significantly better than Oregon across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Oregon generally does better on infrastructure, though Idaho leads in average commute.
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
Oregon generally does better on employment & economy, though Idaho leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Oregon performs better than Idaho across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Salem | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) | 87°/57°F (30°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salem | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) | 38°/25°F (3.2°/-4.1°C) |
| Feb | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.1°C) |
| Mar | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) | 55°/34°F (12.6°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) | 62°/39°F (16.8°/4.1°C) |
| May | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) | 72°/47°F (22.0°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) | 81°/54°F (27.4°/12.1°C) |
| Jul | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) | 91°/60°F (32.9°/15.8°C) |
| Aug | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) | 79°/51°F (26.0°/10.6°C) |
| Oct | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/4.9°C) |
| Nov | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) | 48°/32°F (9.0°/-0.1°C) |
| Dec | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) | 38°/24°F (3.1°/-4.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Oregon?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Idaho and Oregon; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,430 in Idaho for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Idaho safe?
Idaho performs significantly better than Oregon across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Oregon?
Oregon generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Oregon?
The average high temperature in Boise is 64°F, compared to 64°F in Salem. Boise receives around 11.7 in of rainfall per year, while Salem gets 39.7 in.
