What is the cost of living in Idaho Falls?

Idaho Falls has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 94.4, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 84.0, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,305/month.

What is the median salary in Idaho Falls?

The median salary in Idaho Falls is $63,842 annually (mean: $67,707). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers.

How safe is Idaho Falls?

The violent crime rate in the Idaho Falls area is 235 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 754 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Idaho Falls?

The state of ID has 778 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.1:1. Charter schools make up 9.8% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Idaho Falls?

Infant center-based childcare in the Idaho Falls area averages $7,315 per year. Preschool averages $6,437/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Idaho Falls a good place to relocate?

Idaho Falls has a Life Score of 63.3/100 (C), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This places Idaho Falls in the top decile of scored metros, a genuinely strong all-around profile.

Where does Idaho Falls sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Idaho Falls ranks #178 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Idaho Falls, ID

BEA RPP 94.4 sits mid-pack (#211 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

94.4
Cost index (US=100): $1,305
2BR rent / mo: $63,842
Median salary: 52.3
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Idaho Falls ranks #178 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (52.3/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and safety.

#178
of 387 US metros · Above median: 2,001,619
metro-area population: 235
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 778
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (0/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Idaho Falls ranks #178 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 94.4 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,305/mo, median salary $63,842; LiveAbility Score 52.3/100, strongest in low hazard and safety.

Signature: BEA RPP 94.4 sits mid-pack (#211 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 94.4 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,305/mo.

LiveAbility 52.3/100 keeps Idaho Falls in the middle third (#178 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Idaho Falls area is 72,210.

Idaho Falls vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

52 Top 46% higher than 54% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Idaho Falls housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Idaho Falls MSA; housing RPP 84.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,305/mo.

Studio

$1,034

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,095

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,305

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,815

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,189

/month

Idaho Falls wages and employment

Idaho Falls posts 72,210 total employment with median salary $63,842.

Median Salary

$63,842

Mean Salary

$67,707

Total Employment

72,210

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,050
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,680
General and Operations Managers	$80,380
Retail Salespersons	$32,320
Customer Service Representatives	$40,060

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Idaho Falls area from NCES.

Schools

778

Enrollment

315,098

Student:Teacher

17.1:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Idaho Falls area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,315

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,002

per year

Preschool (Center)

$6,437

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Idaho Falls's composite Life Score is 63.3/100 (C), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

46/100

Average

Wages

56/100

Above average

Rent

50/100

Average

Crime

74/100

Strong

Schools

65/100

Strong

Childcare

87/100

Elite

Environment

91/100

Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Idaho Falls ranks #178 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 52.3/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (94/100)

Low hazard

94
Safety

74
Job market

57
Air quality

57
Housing

50
Cost of living

46
Schools

35
Climate

0

What this shows Idaho Falls's strongest dimensions are low hazard and safety; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 0/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Idaho Falls to

Rochester Rockford Rocky Mount Rome Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom Saginaw

Metros near Idaho Falls on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Idaho Falls on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Idaho Falls cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Idaho Falls wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Idaho Falls?

Idaho Falls runs a $63,842 median salary at a 94.4 cost index, ranking #178 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Idaho Falls's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Idaho Falls head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Idaho Falls
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.