Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Idaho Falls's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Idaho Falls?
Your $100,000 in Idaho Falls has the same purchasing power as $111,284 in the average US city. You'd need $11,284 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Idaho Falls's cost index of 90, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Idaho Falls? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: your dollar carries more weight here and crime statistics come out reassuring, plus 4 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Idaho Falls sits at 90 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 10% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $931/mo against a typical household income of $66,463, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Idaho Falls reports roughly 1,753 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
Idaho Falls's Walk Score is 89/100 — top-tier walkability by US standards. Groceries, coffee, work, social life: most of it lands within reasonable foot range of wherever you live. A lot of residents skip car ownership entirely, which is its own form of savings on top of the lifestyle change.
Idaho Falls's Bike Score is 67/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
Idaho Falls's air quality index averages about 43 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Idaho Falls is about 19 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Idaho Falls's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Idaho Falls gets a handful of meaningful snow days each year. Winters average about 26°F — cold enough for several inches at a time, warm enough for everything to melt between storms.
Cold but workable. Winter in Idaho Falls averages about 26°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Idaho Falls runs about 90°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Idaho Falls falls in roughly USDA Zone 8. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Idaho Falls is at about 4,721 feet (1,439 m) — high enough that newcomers from sea level sometimes feel a touch winded the first few days, dehydrate faster than expected, and notice that water boils a little quicker. Acclimation is usually a week or so.
By the numbers, yes. Idaho Falls reports roughly 1,753 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Idaho Falls's composite cost-of-living index is 90, roughly 10% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Yes — Idaho Falls is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 89/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $62,902 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Idaho Falls runs about $931/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.