Portland, OR vs Boise City, ID
Moving from Portland to Boise City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $496,288 median home) and taxes.
Portland 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 Portland, OR, you'd need about $88,315 in Boise City, ID (−$11,685).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Boise City, ID: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,864 sqft in Boise City ($325 vs $268 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Boise City, ID | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $22,044 | +$480 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,790 | −$450 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,090 | −$590 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,368 | −$336 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,300 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $10,170 | −$4,212 |
| Total | $47,470 | $42,761 | −$4,709 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Boise City, ID |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 94.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 3.29% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 13.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.36 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $496,288 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $268 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,837 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.03% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 5.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.59% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 12.7 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.70 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 90 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 24 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |