These Are The 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Idaho For 2018

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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.

Here are the 10 cheapest places to live in Idaho for 2018:

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 the best places to live in Idaho or the most expensive.

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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.

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1. Blackfoot

Source: Wikipedia User sporst | CC BY 2.0

Population: 11,781
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 64
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Blackfoot: Homes For Sale | Data
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 (a museum and gift shop that displays and explains the history of Idaho’s potato industry), 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.

2. Pocatello

Source: Public domain

Population: 54,145
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 72
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Pocatello: Homes For Sale | Data
Pocatello (/poktlo/ ( listen)) 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.

3. Idaho Falls

Source: Wikipedia User Staplegunther a | GFDL

Population: 57,021
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 80
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Idaho Falls: Homes For Sale | Data
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[update], the population was estimated at 60,211.

4. Chubbuck

Source: Wikipedia User Ken Lund | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 13,773
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 82
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Chubbuck: Homes For Sale | Data

5. Rexburg

Source: Public domain

Population: 25,402
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 87
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Rexburg: Homes For Sale | Data
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 (BYU-Idaho), a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

6. Weiser

Source: Wikipedia User Sam Beebe | CC BY 2.0

Population: 5,469
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 56
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Weiser: Homes For Sale | Data
Weiser (/wizr/ WEE-zr) 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.

7. Ammon

Source: Wikipedia User Sociotard | CC BY 3.0

Population: 13,575
Services: 87
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 106
Housing: 92
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 83
More on Ammon: Homes For Sale | Data
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.

8. Caldwell

Source: Public domain

Population: 46,229
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 65
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Caldwell: Homes For Sale | Data
Caldwell is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 46,237 at the 2010 census.

9. Payette

Source: Wikipedia User Ian Poellet | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 7,462
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 67
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Payette: Homes For Sale | Data
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. Emmett

Source: Public domain

Population: 6,555
Services: 98
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 106
Housing: 73
Transportation: 92
Utilities: 86
More on Emmett: Homes For Sale | Data
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. 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.

Detailed List Of The Cheapest Places In Idaho

City	Rank	Population	Services	Groceries	Health Care
Blackfoot	1	11,781	87	103	106
Pocatello	2	54,145	87	103	106
Idaho Falls	3	57,021	87	103	106
Chubbuck	4	13,773	87	103	106
Rexburg	5	25,402	87	103	106
Weiser	6	5,469	98	89	106
Ammon	7	13,575	87	103	106
Caldwell	8	46,229	98	89	106
Payette	9	7,462	98	89	106
Emmett	10	6,555	98	89	106
Nampa	11	81,667	98	89	106
Middleton	12	5,542	98	89	106
Mountain Home	13	13,879	98	89	106
Rupert	14	5,496	93	93	98
Burley	15	10,157	93	93	98
Jerome	16	10,757	93	93	98
Kuna	17	15,192	98	89	106
Garden City	18	11,095	98	89	106
Lewiston	19	31,862	95	92	114
Twin Falls	20	44,097	93	93	98
Rathdrum	21	6,840	95	92	114
Star	22	5,745	98	89	106
Meridian	23	75,210	98	89	106
Post Falls	24	27,609	95	92	114
Moscow	25	23,866	95	92	114
Eagle	26	19,952	98	89	106
Sandpoint	27	7,397	95	92	114
Hayden	28	13,258	95	92	114
Hailey	29	7,905	93	93	98
Preston	30	5,162	101	95	91