Cost of Living in Idaho compared to Oregon? (Boise, Nampa: sales, 2013)

[emilylaurent]

My boyfriend and I currently live in Tigard, OR and we are relocting to Nampa ID at the end of the month, right now we both make basically $15 an hour and can afford to live, but can only afford to pay bills and things we need so we never have money to put in savings or any money for ourselves, so my question is, what would we need to make in ID to live above the life style we are living now, we plan to both work full time and buy a small house once we have the money, but we have to make enough to save and afford bills, we only have car insurance and phone bills at the moment, no credit card bills or anything like that. a little insight from some people who actually lives in ID would be very helpful.

[BellaDL]

You can get cost of living information for Tigard, OR and Nampa, ID right from citydata website

http://www.city-data.com/city/Tigard...#ixzz4WEXX211m

Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Tigard: 104.2 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

http://www.city-data.com/city/Nampa-...#ixzz4WEXmCeDy

Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Nampa: 90.9 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

You can also compare tax burden for each state from smartasset site. Just plug in your income in Oregon and expected income in Idaho to get an estimate of your total tax burden (state income tax, sales tax, fuel tax and property tax). Keep in mind that Idaho also has sale tax on groceries. You do get a grocery tax credit average about $100 per person.

https://smartasset.com/taxes/oregon-tax-calculator

https://smartasset.com/taxes/idaho-tax-calculator

My daughter lived and worked in Nampa for several years. She still works in Nampa but lives in Boise.

We have been comparing COLs among several western states (Idaho, Oregon and Washington) to decide where to relocate in retirement. For us, living in the eastern cities of Washington appears to be the lowest cost situation.

You can also check zillow or similar sites to get some ideas on housing cost.

[emilylaurent]

Thank you very much for the info!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

No way to know without knowing your lifestyle, except that housing costs less in Boise, which means that maybe rentals are less expensive. Check on Craigslist to see rental prices. I don't think rents are a lot lower, but even a little lower would help.

Heating bills will be a lot higher. You'll have to invest in a snow shovel and winter tires for the car.

I think that gasoline is cheaper.

You will pay sales tax in Idaho,

[RoseinBloom1972]

I moved here in Dec 2013 from Beaverton, and have found that Boise is much cheaper to live in. Most of the difference seems to be rent. Here, a 2 br-1ba in a nice complex can be had for $880. A similar place in Beaverton would run around $1300. You'll pay a bit less in Nampa.

Will you be making the same $15/hr here? When I moved here, I transferred with the same employer and so kept my salary. My son looked into moving here as well, but found that the salaries were MUCH lower. He was making $21/hr in Beaverton and was being offered $12-13/hr here (he's a medical assistant.)

My utilities are actually about 2/3 of what they were in Beaverton, maybe because I now have gas for the furnace and water heater. The Idaho sales tax doesn't seem to negate the lower income tax, although I haven't actually crunched the numbers. Most everything else is about the same.

Good luck and welcome to Idaho!

[wildflower82]

Originally Posted by emilylaurent

My boyfriend and I currently live in Tigard, OR and we are relocting to Nampa ID at the end of the month, right now we both make basically $15 an hour and can afford to live, but can only afford to pay bills and things we need so we never have money to put in savings or any money for ourselves, so my question is, what would we need to make in ID to live above the life style we are living now, we plan to both work full time and buy a small house once we have the money, but we have to make enough to save and afford bills, we only have car insurance and phone bills at the moment, no credit card bills or anything like that. a little insight from some people who actually lives in ID would be very helpful.

If I were you, I would look at the jobs first and see what they're paying. In 2 areas of Idaho one can make $15.00- $30.00 an hr cleaning houses, cost of living is higher. While in other areas, the rate is around $8.00-$10.00, but the cost of living is cheaper. Also, will your jobs be in Nampa or Boise, which, you'll have to factor in the cost of driving, although its not that far, but at $8.00 an hr...is it worth it, to be stuck in traffic. If your going into a higher paying job, this will make all the difference.....I have noticed, even, those in the medical field are not making all that much. Wages do tend to be low here.


Sounds like your plans are in place. Hopefully, you have jobs well over $10.00, which, seems to be the basic rate in this area. Good luck with moving and welcome to Idaho.

[IdahoBroker]

When you start looking for homes to buy, make sure you team up with a lender and Realtor that understands first time home buying options and some of the niche programs. For example, in parts of Canyon County (excluding Nampa and Caldwell city limits) you can use USDA Rural Development Loans for 100% financing and negotiate with a seller in hopes they will pay your closing costs too. Rents in the area are typically higher than current market rents (which is why homes are selling really fast and inventory is at record lows).

[pnwguy2]

Tigard to Boise would be lower COL, but not as big as one might expect. Most cities that are thriving have increasing cost of living, and Boise is no exception. Nampa is perhaps less so. State income tax is somewhat lower in Idaho, but they also add on a sales tax, even on groceries, though you get some of that back on your tax return.