Husband and I are thinking of moving...to IDAHO! Shocker (Sandpoint: fit in, rentals)

[atjedimom]

Cnynrat, Mistyriver, and Sagle Sam, thank you so much for answering my questions. I really appreciate it.

One more, how much is a gallon of milk?

Thanks everybody so much! It is a pleasure reading through and learning from all of you.

[banjomike]

Milk in Idaho Falls is under 2 bucks a gallon.

[Sagle Sam 2016]

Originally Posted by atjedimom

Cnynrat, Mistyriver, and Sagle Sam, thank you so much for answering my questions. I really appreciate it.

One more, how much is a gallon of milk?

Thanks everybody so much! It is a pleasure reading through and learning from all of you.

$2-$2.19 last time I checked. Organic is like $6.39 or something.

[atjedimom]

That is what I pay in upstate NY!!!! Wooohooo! We have 6 kids and don't do a whole lot of juice or soda so milk is a pretty big part of our grocery budget.

You guys are so helpful.

I have a question about taxes. I will try to phrase it correctly to get my point across. NY taxes-we have sales, school, property and income. I looked up the sales tax in Id, no problem. I think I remember reading food is taxed in Id? And what about school taxes? In NY they are attached to the property taxes, so the taxes on a 3/2 $199,000 home with 1 acre in a good school district are about $6k. I realize that each city and county taxes are different but could I get an overview?

I hope I am asking the right question.

Thank you so much for your time.

[Cnynrat]

You are correct that Idaho imposes a sales tax on food. There is a mechanism where lower income people can get a partial rebate of those sales taxes paid on food through their income tax return. There are also property taxes paid to the counties and income taxes paid to the state.

There is no separate "school tax" as such. Schools are funded from a combination of property taxes, state funding from income tax receipts, and probably some federal funding as well.

Property taxes vary from county to county, so it's impossible to give you an idea what they will be like without first identifying the county where you will live.

The Tax Foundation has some good information about taxes in each state.

Dave

[mtngirlatheart]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Milk in Idaho Falls is under 2 bucks a gallon.

Originally Posted by Sagle Sam 2016

$2-$2.19 last time I checked. Organic is like $6.39 or something.

My kids are big milk drinkers so I purchase a good amount each month. I rarely see half-gallons (of Darigold) for less than 2.50 - and that's including getting them at Walmart in Idaho Falls. Not sure about gallons because I prefer the cardboard containers to plastic. I'm not big on Western Family milk and never took notice to the prices so maybe that's what you guys are referring to. I would love to be able to find it cheaper though if I could!

[EvilEyeFleegle]

A gal of 2% at Albertsons, in Twin Falls $1.99. Have seen it as low as $1.79 with coupon

[atjedimom]

Cool guys. Thank you. Cnynrat, thank you a lot.
I am sure I will be back with more questions.

[Dangerous Dave]

I get two gallons of 1% milk at Costco for $3.16.

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

Originally Posted by atjedimom

I know you guys get this ALL the time and it is subjective, but a few questions. I have looked through the forum already to see if anyone has answered this.... We are coming from the East. Upstate NY to be a little more specific. We are second to Seattle in cloud cover and rainfall amounts. Taxes are high and the government atmosphere is big brother-ish. My two most important (to me) questions are #1-according to the internet Northern Id gets above average sun, even for the winter time. Is that reality? If no one has been to Binghamton, NY compare it to Seattle, if you please.I don't mind snow and cold but the SUN, I need the sun. I was hoping it would be more like front range of Co instead of Seattle.
#2-According to the internet, I know again with ambiguous information, cost of living is higher near Coeur d'Alene, Rathburn. I do not want in town. Is it possible; not just possible, but probable, to live on a median income [u]outside[u] of those places? Or is it similar to a Lake Placid, NY where it is impossible for regular people?
I would like to hear from you guys. Thank you for your time.

atjedimom

I grew up in WNY, Lockport specifically. Weather-wise there is no comparison-winters are MUCH MUCH nicer out this way (I'm north of CDA, closer to Sandpoint). WNY is nothing but grey with a couple sunny days all winter. N. Idaho has a lot more nice weather. Even more-WNY is mostly deciduous trees, which shed their leaves in winter. Further contributing to the "shades of grey" feel (IIRC Binghamton might have more evergreens than the Buffalo area did). Idaho is mostly evergreens-a remotely sunny winter day is just spectacular. Not only that but the air is much dryer-WNY is COLD even when it's not snowing/raining. That dampness just cuts right through you. Here a light sweatshirt is all you need outside in the winter, if you are moving around/working. The negative? Daylight hours are even shorter-we're about even with Sudbury, Ontario. Flip side days are even longer in summer. Another nice thing all year-low humidity (with a very few exceptional days). We do get higher summer temps, but 90 degrees with 15-20% humidity is MUCH nicer than 85 degrees and 85%. Better is that it actually cools off at night. 30-40 degree temp swings are typical. So a 90 degree day might start with morning temps in the 50s-60s. I had forgotten how oppressive WNY summers are until going back on vacation. Sweating and stinky all the time. Not like that out here.

Property cost are higher here. It's a lot harder to pick up a 1-2 acre lot. In NYS farmers typically sell their road frontage and do so fairly cheaply. A nice sized lot can be had for cheap. Not so around here. Many rural areas have restrictions with a 5 acre or 20 acre minimum depending on zoning. Flip side-NYS taxes are among the worst in the nation. Property taxes will run ~1/3 as much (or less) on the same property value. You mention $6k in property tax on a $200k place. On $200k here, I'd expect somewhere around $1000 or so depending on the city/community. We're on 20 acres with lake frontage (not built "on the lake" due to access) with a newer home and taxes run about $2300 IIRC. Too much-but no where near WNY. When I left WNY ('94) I was paying $2700 a year in property taxes on a $60,000 house, for reference.

In the CDA areas-property is reasonable if you don't mind living in a sub-division or city lot. Rural property is tough-within 30 minutes of CDA it's tough to pick up much of anything on rural property for <$300k. But it is possible with some shopping. And with the difference in taxes running a few hundred a month, you can still have cheaper payments out here.

Get-r-done. Leaving WNY for Idaho was the best thing I've done in my life. NYS as a whole is just oppressive. Attitudes. Sense of failure (dying businesses and towns). Crap laws with regards to personal freedom. Worse-the idea that those failings are NORMAL. The rest of the country isn't like WNY. I don't know about Binghamton, but Lockport was a dying city-lots of closed, boarded up businesses. Local mall was recently demolished. Very stagnant. It's not like that out here, business and construction is booming. IIRC CDA population has increased more than 50% since '94. Post Falls far more (CDA is limited by city borders). Lots of transplants bringing a more vibrant atmosphere. Not to say that NY doesn't have some things going for it-people are nice (as they are here) and the Finger Lakes/Great Lakes are beautiful. Idaho has all that and more-FAR FAR fewer people and lots of public land.