Bend → Boise City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Bend to Boise City is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.6 to 98.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $270/mo.
- -$2,424
- BLS median salary lower in Boise City
- 335 to 235
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.6:1 to 17.1:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $5,324
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Boise City
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + 5% lower cost of living
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $270/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $2K lower median salary
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.6 to 98.4, so each dollar covers more in Boise City (ratio 0.95). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $270/mo ($3,240/yr) from $1,385 in Bend to $1,655 in Boise City.
Boise City leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Boise City sits #317 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Bend is #276/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,424 lower ($69,802 → $67,378). Labor-market size: 102,030 tracked jobs at origin vs 377,880 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Idaho scores 58 (D, #30/51) vs Oregon at 41 (F, #49/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 64
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 14
- Income tax
- 70
- Property tax
- 76
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 24
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Bend to see what you'd need to earn in Boise City to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026