Pocatello vs Boise leftover
Moving to Boise costs you $93 a month
$1,998/mo leftover in Boise vs $2,091 in Pocatello after tax and rent ($93 less). −$1,116 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Pocatello leftover
$2,091
a month after tax and rent
Boise leftover
$1,998
−$93 vs Pocatello
Compare Pocatello to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Pocatello.
Monthly gap
Pocatello → Boise
$93
less / month in Pocatello
$1,998 in Boise · $2,091 in Pocatello · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 225 households moved Pocatello → Boise (avg AGI $51,044). 149 went the other way. The whole move →
−$93 / mo
| Per month | Pocatello | Boise | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,417 | $7,026 | +$609 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,500 | $1,715 | +$215 |
| Take-home pay | $4,917 | $5,311 | +$394 |
| Rent | $875 | $1,383 | +$508 |
| Getting around | $549 | $524 | −$25 |
| Groceries | $387 | $388 | +$1 |
| Healthcare | $435 | $437 | +$2 |
| Utilities | $242 | $243 | +$1 |
| Everything else | $338 | $340 | +$2 |
| Left over | $2,091 | $1,998 | −$93 |
To break even in Boise, you'd need to earn
$86,000
Household gross, versus $77,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Pocatello does now.
The tax difference alone
−$416
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.4% in Pocatello, 24.4% in Boise.
More about Boise
Pocatello, ID in full
A flat 5.7% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,042 and 228 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
Boise, ID in full
Outdoor access that rivals Denver, on wages that haven't caught up to the home prices.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Boise on Boise wages.
Boise → Pocatello →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Boise than Pocatello?
A one-bedroom is about $875 in Pocatello versus $1,383 in Boise. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $93 a month lower in Boise. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Boise have state income tax?
Boise is in Idaho, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Pocatello to Boise?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Idaho tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Pocatello and Boise moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.