Before you decide to relocate to Idaho, it’s important to research the exact cost of living around the state. And that’s what we’re going to help you do.
These are the places in Idaho that cost a pretty penny — the most expensive cities in the state.
We used Saturday Night Science to compare the 2020-2024 American Community Survey on cost of living for the 35 places in Idaho with more than 5,000 people.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Idaho for 2026.
$122,894 median income · $781,181 median home · #2 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$90,760 median income · $900,673 median home · #1 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Blaine County, Idaho
Hailey is a city in and the county seat of Blaine County, in the Wood River Valley of the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho.
The city is named after John Hailey, a two-time Congressional delegate from the Idaho Territory.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$100,795 median income · $526,994 median home · #8 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Meridian is a city located in Ada County in the US state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Meridian was 75,092 making it the third largest city in Idaho after Boise and Nampa. A 2015 estimate placed the population at approximately 90,739. Meridian is the state’s fastest-growing city, with an 81.5 percent increase in population since 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,936 median income · $577,031 median home · #6 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Canyon County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$82,958 median income · $636,614 median home · #3 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Kootenai County, Idaho
Hayden is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. Located in the northern portion of the state, it is a suburb of nearby Coeur d’Alene and its population was 13,294 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$72,289 median income · $632,345 median home · #4 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Bonner County, Idaho
Sandpoint is the largest town in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 7,365 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$57,022 median income · $467,640 median home · #13 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Latah County, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho along the state border with Washington, with a population of 23,800 at the 2010 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the University of Idaho, the state’s land grant institution and primary research university, as well as the home of New Saint Andrews College, a Christian liberal arts college.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$86,563 median income · $574,778 median home · #7 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Kootenai County, Idaho
Rathdrum is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 6,826 at the 2010 census, up from 4816 in 2000. It is part of the Coeur d’Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entire county. It is named after Rathdrum in Ireland.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$72,338 median income · $599,946 median home · #5 home prices in Idaho
Coeur d’Alene KOR d-LAYN) is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d’Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of Coeur d’Alene was 44,137. The city is a satellite city of Spokane, which is located about 30 miles to the west, in the state of Washington. The two cities are the key components of the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene Combined Statistical Area, of which Coeur d’Alene is the third-largest city. Coeur d’Alene is the largest city in northern Idaho Panhandle. The city is situated on the north shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene, 25 miles in length. Locally, Coeur d’Alene is known as the “Lake City”, or simply called by its initials: “CDA”.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$96,219 median income · $455,595 median home · #14 home prices in Idaho
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Kuna is a city in Ada County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Boise City-Nampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,210 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Idaho’s statewide median.
Idaho statewide median: $473,335
Idaho statewide median: $77,800
On the map
Mapping the most expensive places in Idaho
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Gem State For 2026
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford a city in Idaho are how much money you make and how much you have to spend to live there.
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing, it’s actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Overall Cost Of Living Index
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Idaho to figure out which is the most expensive.
You are left with a “Cost of Living Index” by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index to rank all of the 35 places in Idaho that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Idaho according to the data is Eagle. We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the most expensive places to live in Idaho.
The full plate
Most Expensive Cities In Idaho
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Cost Of Living | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | Home/Income Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eagle | 138 | 32,855 | $122,894 | $781,181 | 6.4x |
| 2 | Hailey | 125 | 9,665 | $90,760 | $900,673 | 9.9x |
| 3 | Meridian | 121 | 130,138 | $100,795 | $526,994 | 5.2x |
| 4 | Star | 117 | 14,745 | $97,936 | $577,031 | 5.9x |
| 5 | Hayden | 114 | 16,338 | $82,958 | $636,614 | 7.7x |
| 6 | Sandpoint | 113 | 9,637 | $72,289 | $632,345 | 8.7x |
| 7 | Moscow | 111 | 26,286 | $57,022 | $467,640 | 8.2x |
| 8 | Rathdrum | 111 | 10,874 | $86,563 | $574,778 | 6.6x |
| 9 | Coeur d’Alene | 110 | 56,447 | $72,338 | $599,946 | 8.3x |
| 10 | Kuna | 110 | 27,158 | $96,219 | $455,595 | 4.7x |
| 11 | Post Falls | 109 | 43,391 | $82,183 | $526,055 | 6.4x |
| 12 | Garden City | 107 | 12,654 | $70,124 | $470,736 | 6.7x |
| 13 | Ammon | 106 | 19,064 | $86,121 | $416,580 | 4.8x |
| 14 | Chubbuck | 103 | 16,126 | $82,977 | $379,219 | 4.6x |
| 15 | Nampa | 102 | 110,319 | $74,279 | $412,277 | 5.6x |
| 16 | Rexburg | 102 | 40,543 | $50,617 | $420,170 | 8.3x |
| 17 | Middleton | 102 | 10,649 | $89,013 | $499,966 | 5.6x |
| 18 | Preston | 101 | 5,928 | $61,039 | $431,655 | 7.1x |
| 19 | Kimberly | 101 | 5,111 | $97,799 | $448,259 | 4.6x |
| 20 | Lewiston | 100 | 34,651 | $72,197 | $382,188 | 5.3x |
| 21 | Shelley | 99 | 5,092 | $77,563 | $429,812 | 5.5x |
| 22 | Caldwell | 98 | 66,516 | $73,058 | $396,876 | 5.4x |
| 23 | Twin Falls | 98 | 54,164 | $61,205 | $367,064 | 6.0x |
| 24 | Mountain Home | 98 | 16,493 | $63,125 | $358,404 | 5.7x |
| 25 | Idaho Falls | 97 | 67,725 | $73,110 | $395,035 | 5.4x |
| 26 | Pocatello | 97 | 57,635 | $60,418 | $336,559 | 5.6x |
| 27 | Jerome | 97 | 12,930 | $66,894 | $399,693 | 6.0x |
| 28 | Blackfoot | 95 | 12,782 | $64,032 | $369,865 | 5.8x |
| 29 | Emmett | 95 | 8,275 | $58,750 | $455,351 | 7.8x |
| 30 | Rigby | 95 | 5,404 | $85,056 | $472,610 | 5.6x |
| 31 | Rupert | 94 | 6,190 | $54,741 | $326,313 | 6.0x |
| 32 | Burley | 92 | 11,958 | $67,468 | $330,751 | 4.9x |
| 33 | Payette | 92 | 8,536 | $55,208 | $368,362 | 6.7x |
| 34 | Fruitland | 92 | 6,663 | $65,457 | $409,435 | 6.3x |
| 35 | Weiser | 87 | 5,935 | $45,292 | $363,062 | 8.0x |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 35 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Idaho For 2026
Well, there you have it, the places in Idaho that have the highest cost of living, with Eagle ranking as the most expensive city in the Gem State.
The most expensive cities in Idaho are Eagle, Hailey, Meridian, Star, Hayden, Sandpoint, Moscow, Rathdrum, Coeur d’Alene, and Kuna.
