Idaho Falls → Helena
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Idaho Falls to Helena is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 94.4 to 95.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $443/mo.
- +$2,970
- BLS median salary higher in Helena
- 235 to 426
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.1:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,151
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Helena
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
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $443/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 94.4 to 95.7 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $443/mo ($5,316/yr) from $1,305 in Idaho Falls to $1,748 in Helena.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Helena sits #307 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Idaho Falls is #178/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,970 higher ($63,842 → $66,812). Labor-market size: 72,210 tracked jobs at origin vs 38,620 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Idaho 58 (D, #30/51) vs Montana 53 (D, #38/51). 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
- 70
- Property tax
- 76
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 24
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 82
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 Idaho Falls to see what you'd need to earn in Helena 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