Moving to Idaho from Utah
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Utah to Idaho — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Utah to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 3.8% cheaper than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $72,200 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle. Salt Lake City and Idaho Falls are about 190 mi apart.
Is Idaho cheaper than Utah?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.9% less
Groceries
pay 1.1% more
Transportation
pay 18.8% less
Housing
pay 1.2% less
Childcare
pay 3.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.4% 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 → $72,200
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 2% more than cities in Utah.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Utah to Idaho.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah generally does better on safety, though Idaho leads in property crime rate.
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
Utah 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 Utah across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah 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
Utah performs better than Idaho across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Utah performs better than Idaho 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 Utah
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Salt Lake City | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Idaho Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Utah?
Yes — Idaho is on average about 4% cheaper than Utah. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Idaho?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,050 in Idaho on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Idaho safe?
Utah generally does better on safety, though Idaho leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Utah?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Idaho leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Idaho Falls is 59°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Idaho Falls receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
