Billings → Boise City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Billings to Boise City is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 93.5 to 98.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $238/mo.
- +$3,156
- BLS median salary higher in Boise City
- 426 to 235
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.8:1 to 17.1:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,151
- 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
- + $3K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - 5% higher cost of living
- - $238/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 93.5 to 98.4, so the same paycheck buys less in Boise City (ratio 1.05). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $238/mo ($2,856/yr) from $1,417 in Billings to $1,655 in Boise City.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Boise City sits #317 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Billings is #188/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,156 higher ($64,222 → $67,378). Labor-market size: 86,460 tracked jobs at origin vs 377,880 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Montana 53 (D, #38/51) vs Idaho 58 (D, #30/51). 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
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 82
- 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 Billings 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