Coeur d'Alene → Great Falls
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $263/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $4K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More expensive childcare
Moving from Coeur d'Alene to Great Falls shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 98.3 to 96.8 (100 = US average), so a Coeur d'Alene salary needs to be multiplied by 0.99 to hold the same purchasing power in Great Falls. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,547/month in Coeur d'Alene to $1,284/month in Great Falls - a lower monthly bill of $263, or $3,156/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $64,634 in Coeur d'Alene versus $60,566 in Great Falls - a raw gap of $4,068 lower. The Great Falls labor market has 31,100 tracked jobs against 64,630 in Coeur d'Alene, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Coeur d'Alene and Great Falls are 235 and 426 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 17.1:1 at origin versus 11.8:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $7,315/year in Coeur d'Alene versus $11,466/year in Great Falls. Our composite verdict - Neutral — Depends on Priorities - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Coeur d'Alene to see what you'd need to earn in Great Falls to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What does the "Neutral — Depends on Priorities" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.