A wise sage once said:
“She works hard for the money…”
And these places in Idaho definitely treat her right.
You see, these are the places in Idaho where the cost of living is the lowest; where your salary goes the furthest. And when if you have the luxury of choosing where to live in the Gem State, then the cost of living should play a role in the decision.
So we did the hard for you and crunched the numbers to find the cities that have lower food, energy, and housing costs. After the dust settled on our analysis of the 30 largest places in Idaho, we were left with this set of the best value for your money.
- Blackfoot (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Pocatello (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Idaho Falls (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Chubbuck (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Rexburg (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Weiser (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Ammon (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Caldwell (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Payette (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Emmett (Photos | Homes For Sale)
So listen up Preston (the most expensive place in Idaho) as we explain how we created this ranking. You could learn some things from the rest of the state.
And if you already knew these places were cheap, check out some more reading about Idaho and the cheapest places in the country:
How We Determined The Cheapest Places To Live In The Gem State For 2018
There are basic necessities that you have to buy no matter where in the country you live. Those things include:
- Housing
- Food
- Gas
- Health Insurance
- Utilities
- Transportation
You can then compare the cost of these things in each of the places in Idaho to figure out which is the least expensive.
What you are left with is a “Cost of Living Index” that normalizes to 100 for an average place in the United States.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 30 places in Idaho that have more than 5,000 people.
And just so you can better understand how the cost of living index works, 100 is the average cost of a place in the United States. A score of 90 means that the place cost 10% less than average. A score of 90 means it’s 10% less expensive.
San Francisco has a score of 243 meaning it’s almost 2.5 times as expensive as the average place in the country.
/10
Population: 11,781
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 64
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Blackfoot: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Blackfoot is a city in Bingham County, Idaho, United States. The population was 11,899 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Bingham County. Blackfoot boasts the largest potato industry in any one area, and is known as the “Potato Capital of the World.” It is the site of the Idaho Potato Museum, and the home of the world’s largest baked potato and potato chip. Blackfoot is also the location of the Eastern Idaho State Fair, which operates between Labor Day weekend and the following weekend.
/10
Population: 54,145
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 72
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Pocatello: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Pocatello ) is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock county. As of the 2010 census the population of Pocatello was 54,255.
/10
Population: 57,021
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 80
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Idaho Falls: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Idaho Falls is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States, and is the largest city in Eastern Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 56,813, with a metro population of 136,108. As of 2016, the population was estimated at 60,211.
/10
Population: 13,773
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 82
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Chubbuck: Real Estate | Data | Photos
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/10
Population: 25,402
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 87
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Rexburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 25,484 at the 2010 census, up from 17,257 in 2000. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Fremont and Madison Counties. The city is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
/10
Population: 5,469
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 56
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Weiser: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Weiser is a city in the rural western part of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Washington County. With its mild climate, the city supports farm, orchard, and livestock endeavors in the vicinity. The city sits at the confluence of the Weiser River with the great Snake River, which marks the border with Oregon. The population was 5,507 at the 2010 census.
/10
Population: 13,575
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 92
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Ammon: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Ammon is an edge city of Idaho Falls in Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the population of Ammon was 13,816.
/10
Population: 46,229
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 65
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Caldwell: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Caldwell is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 46,237 at the 2010 census.
/10
Population: 7,462
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 67
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Payette: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Payette is a city in and the county seat of Payette County, Idaho, United States. The population was 7,433 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ontario, ORID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
/10
Population: 6,555
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 73
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Emmett: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Emmett is a city in Gem County, Idaho, United States. The population was 6,557 at the 2010 census, up from 5,490 in 2000. It is the county seat and the only city in the county. Emmett is part of the BoiseNampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.
There You Have It Mr. Or Mrs. Idaho Cheapskate
If you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Idaho, this is an accurate list of the cheapest places to call home.
Here’s a look at the most expensive cities in Idaho according to the data:
- Preston
- Hailey
- Hayden
For more Idaho reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Idaho For 2018
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Idaho
- 10 Safest Places In Idaho
Detailed List Of The Cheapest Places In Idaho
| Rank | City | CheapScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackfoot | 10.75 |
| 2 | Pocatello | 11.25 |
| 3 | Idaho Falls | 12.42 |
| 4 | Chubbuck | 12.58 |
| 5 | Rexburg | 12.83 |
| 6 | Weiser | 13.08 |
| 7 | Ammon | 13.5 |
| 8 | Caldwell | 13.75 |
| 9 | Payette | 13.92 |
| 10 | Emmett | 14.33 |
| 11 | Nampa | 14.33 |
| 12 | Middleton | 14.58 |
| 13 | Mountain Home | 14.75 |
| 14 | Rupert | 14.92 |
| 15 | Burley | 15.25 |
| 16 | Jerome | 15.42 |
| 17 | Kuna | 15.92 |
| 18 | Garden City | 16.33 |
| 19 | Lewiston | 16.67 |
| 20 | Twin Falls | 17.08 |
| 21 | Rathdrum | 17.08 |
| 22 | Star | 17.08 |
| 23 | Meridian | 17.42 |
| 24 | Post Falls | 17.58 |
| 25 | Moscow | 17.75 |
| 26 | Eagle | 17.75 |
| 27 | Sandpoint | 17.92 |
| 28 | Hayden | 18.25 |
| 29 | Hailey | 19.58 |
| 30 | Preston | 20.92 |
