City comparison
Caldwell, ID is about 225 miles (375 km) from Idaho Falls, ID in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 300 miles, or about 4 h 45 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Caldwell, ID to Idaho Falls, ID takes about 28 min, covering roughly 225 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Caldwell, ID is on Pacific Time and Idaho Falls, ID is on Mountain Time — a 1-hour difference. When it's noon in Caldwell, it's 1 p.m. in Idaho Falls, which puts Caldwell 1 hours behind.
Standard-time offsets. Daylight saving applies in both cities for most of the year (exceptions: Hawaii and most of Arizona), and the gap between the two stays the same.
Idaho Falls has a population of 65,685, vs 61,212 in Caldwell — about the same size. By land area, Idaho Falls covers about 27 sq mi vs 25 sq mi for Caldwell.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Caldwell | Idaho Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,012/mo | $931/mo | 8.7% higher in Caldwell |
| Median home value | $284,000 | $266,800 | 6.4% higher in Caldwell |
| Median household income | $65,259 | $66,463 | 1.8% higher in Idaho Falls |
| Groceries index | 96.9 | 96.9 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 75.6 | 74.6 | 1.3% higher in Caldwell |
| Transportation index | 99.5 | 99.5 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 99.4 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Caldwell, you'd need $91,228 in Idaho Falls to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Idaho Falls, ID is about 8.8% cheaper overall than Caldwell, ID, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 24% higher in Caldwell than in Idaho Falls. If you earn $80,000 in Caldwell, you'd need about $72,983 in Idaho Falls to keep the same standard of living.