Phoenix, AZ vs Boise City, ID
Moving from Phoenix to Boise City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $496,288 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Boise City 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $90,034 in Boise City, ID (−$9,966).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Boise City, ID: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 1,864 sqft in Boise City ($242 vs $268 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Boise City, ID | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $22,044 | +$1,140 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,790 | −$129 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,090 | −$870 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,368 | −$300 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,300 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $10,170 | +$2,890 |
| Total | $40,531 | $42,761 | +$2,230 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Boise City, ID |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 94.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 3.29% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 13.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.36 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $496,288 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $268 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,837 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.03% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 5.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.59% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 12.7 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.70 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 90 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 24 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |