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Living in Idaho ยท 2026

Is $100,000 enough to live in Idaho?

Single adult ยท ID ยท 2026 tax brackets ยท Real cost-of-living data

Statewide verdict:Very comfortable

Monthly take-home

$6,100

Avg monthly expenses

$2,057

Avg monthly surplus

$4,043

Savings potential

~66%

After-tax take-home in Idaho

Gross salary$100,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $13,354
State income taxโˆ’ $5,800
Social Securityโˆ’ $6,200
Medicareโˆ’ $1,450
Annual take-home$73,196
Effective tax rate26.8%

How $100,000 feels in Idaho cities

Rent: HUD FMR 2026 ยท Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan ร— COL ยท Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES ร— COL

Boise

COL index: 1.08ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,400
Food
$462
Transport
$189
Utilities
$178
Healthcare
$216
Total: $2,445/mo
Surplus: $3,655/mo
Rent burden: 23.0% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Boise analysis โ†’

Meridian

COL index: 0.80ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$850
Food
$466
Transport
$140
Utilities
$132
Healthcare
$160
Total: $1,748/mo
Surplus: $4,352/mo
Rent burden: 13.9% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Meridian analysis โ†’

Nampa

COL index: 0.98ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,200
Food
$431
Transport
$172
Utilities
$162
Healthcare
$196
Total: $2,161/mo
Surplus: $3,939/mo
Rent burden: 19.7% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Nampa analysis โ†’

Idaho Falls

COL index: 0.93ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,100
Food
$418
Transport
$163
Utilities
$153
Healthcare
$186
Total: $2,020/mo
Surplus: $4,080/mo
Rent burden: 18.0% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Idaho Falls analysis โ†’

Pocatello

COL index: 0.88ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,000
Food
$405
Transport
$154
Utilities
$145
Healthcare
$176
Total: $1,880/mo
Surplus: $4,220/mo
Rent burden: 16.4% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Pocatello analysis โ†’

Caldwell

COL index: 0.95ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,150
Food
$422
Transport
$166
Utilities
$157
Healthcare
$190
Total: $2,085/mo
Surplus: $4,015/mo
Rent burden: 18.9% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Caldwell analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $6,100 ($73,200/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$3,050

per month

  • โ€บRent / mortgage
  • โ€บGroceries
  • โ€บUtilities
  • โ€บInsurance
  • โ€บMinimum debt payments
  • โ€บTransportation
Wants30%

$1,830

per month

  • โ€บDining out
  • โ€บStreaming services
  • โ€บGym
  • โ€บHobbies
  • โ€บTravel
  • โ€บShopping
Savings20%

$1,220

per month

  • โ€บEmergency fund
  • โ€บ401(k) / IRA
  • โ€บInvestments
  • โ€บDown payment fund
  • โ€บDebt payoff (extra)

Needs / year

$36,600

Wants / year

$21,960

Savings / year

$14,640

Salary Intelligence

Good salary in Boise

Rent represents 23% of take-home income โ€” comfortably within the recommended 25% guideline. This is a solid salary for this location.

Lifestyle score: 7.3/10 (Very Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $100,000 salary comfortably supports a very good single lifestyle in Boise, Idaho, with approximately $3,655/month (~60% of take-home) available for savings โ€” meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.

Purchasing Power

Boise is near the national cost-of-living average (index: 1.08). $100,000 here is roughly equivalent to $171,296 in San Francisco or $81,481 in an affordable city like Birmingham.

State & National Benchmark

$100,000 is 145% above the Idaho individual median of $40,800 and 79% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$40,800

+145%

State household median

$70,214

+42%

Tax reduction strategies

Maximize 401(k) Contributions โ€” Up to $5,170 in federal tax (22% bracket)
401(k) Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution โ€” Up to $2,775 additional tax savings (37% bracket)

$100,000 vs. Idaho income benchmarks

Individual median (Idaho)

$40,800

+145% vs. this salary

Household median (Idaho)

$70,214

+42% vs. this salary

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023

Related salary insights

Explore other salary levels in Idaho

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Reviewed by

Finance Editor

CPA, 10+ years in personal finance

Data Sources

Data updated monthly using government datasets.