Seattle vs Idaho Falls leftover
Moving to Idaho Falls costs you $1,348 a month
$2,057/mo leftover in Idaho Falls vs $3,405 in Seattle after tax and rent ($1,348 less). −$16,176 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Seattle leftover
$3,405
a month after tax and rent
Idaho Falls leftover
$2,057
−$1,348 vs Seattle
Compare Seattle to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Seattle.
Monthly gap
Seattle → Idaho Falls
$1,348
less / month in Seattle
$2,057 in Idaho Falls · $3,405 in Seattle · 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, 50 households moved Seattle → Idaho Falls (avg AGI $73,320). The whole move →
−$1,348 / mo
| Per month | Seattle | Idaho Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,375 | $6,555 | −$2,820 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,081 | $1,549 | −$532 |
| Take-home pay | $7,294 | $5,006 | −$2,288 |
| Rent | $1,758 | $984 | −$774 |
| Getting around | $493 | $563 | +$70 |
| Groceries | $452 | $387 | −$65 |
| Healthcare | $508 | $435 | −$73 |
| Utilities | $283 | $242 | −$41 |
| Everything else | $395 | $338 | −$57 |
| Left over | $3,405 | $2,057 | −$1,348 |
To break even in Idaho Falls, you'd need to earn
$103,500
Household gross, versus $112,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Seattle does now.
The tax difference alone
−$3,648
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.2% in Seattle, 23.6% in Idaho Falls.
More about Idaho Falls
Seattle, WA in full
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
Idaho Falls, ID in full
A flat 5.7% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,172 and 220 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Idaho Falls on Idaho Falls wages.
Idaho Falls → Seattle →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Idaho Falls than Seattle?
A one-bedroom is about $1,758 in Seattle versus $984 in Idaho Falls. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,348 a month lower in Idaho Falls. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Idaho Falls have state income tax?
Idaho Falls is in Idaho, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Seattle to Idaho Falls?
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 Seattle and Idaho Falls 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.