Moving to Idaho from Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Virginia to Idaho — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Virginia to Idaho, you would find that Idaho is 17.7% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $61,700 in Idaho to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Virginia to Idaho.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Idaho
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 18.3% less
Groceries
pay 21.0% less
Transportation
pay 11.3% less
Housing
pay 16.9% less
Childcare
pay 37.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.0% 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 18% less than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
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 Virginia leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho performs significantly better than Virginia 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
Virginia 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
Virginia 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 | Richmond | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 87°/57°F (30°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Boise |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 38°/25°F (3.2°/-4.1°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 45°/28°F (7.1°/-2.1°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 55°/34°F (12.6°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 62°/39°F (16.8°/4.1°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 72°/47°F (22.0°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 81°/54°F (27.4°/12.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 91°/60°F (32.9°/15.8°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 79°/51°F (26.0°/10.6°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/4.9°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 48°/32°F (9.0°/-0.1°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 38°/24°F (3.1°/-4.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Idaho than Virginia?
Generally yes: Idaho runs about 18% cheaper than Virginia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
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 $15,425 in Idaho for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Idaho safe?
Idaho performs significantly better than Virginia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Idaho compared to Virginia?
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Idaho compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Boise is 64°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Boise receives around 11.7 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
