Boise City, ID vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Boise City to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($496,288 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Boise City vs Phoenix at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Boise City, ID, you'd need about $111,069 in Phoenix, AZ (+$11,069).
Livability — Boise City, ID: 68 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,864 sqft in Boise City vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($268 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Boise City, ID | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,044 | $20,904 | −$1,140 |
| Groceries | $4,790 | $4,919 | +$129 |
| Transportation | $3,090 | $3,960 | +$870 |
| Utilities | $1,368 | $1,668 | +$300 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,800 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $10,170 | $7,280 | −$2,889 |
| Total | $42,761 | $40,531 | −$2,230 |
Side by side
| Metric | Boise City, ID | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.2 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.29% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 13.9% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.36 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $496,288 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.4× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $268 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,837 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.03% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.80% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.59% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,200 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,100 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $500 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.7 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.70 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 90 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 24 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |