Relocation guide, the money
Boise against where you are coming from, honestly.
This page compares the Treasure Valley with a handful of reference markets relocators ask about most, including Portland, Seattle, Spokane, and Bend. Every figure below carries a named source and a data date, and anything we could not verify with a stable public source is flagged or left as a question to ask us. Housing prices move weekly, so treat the medians as directional and always ask for current pricing. We could not verify current medians for Spokane or Bend from the MLS sources we rely on, so those rows are flagged rather than guessed.
Housing
The home price gap is real, and uneven
In late 2025, the median home price in Boise sat near Portland's and well below Seattle's, per the three MLS sources we use (IMLS for Idaho, RMLS for Portland, NWMLS for Seattle). We could not verify current medians for Spokane or Bend from those same sources, so we flag them as unverified rather than guess. The honest headline: Boise is not the bargain it was in 2020, but it still converts a higher-priced market's sale into far more home in most of the Treasure Valley, especially in the Canyon County towns.
Medians are approximate late-2025 figures from the named sources below and mix different market definitions, so compare with care. The right comparison is price-per-square-foot in the specific towns and neighborhoods you are considering, which we will pull for you with current listings.
| Market | Median home (late 2025) | The honest read |
|---|---|---|
| Boise, ID | ~$540K | Baseline IMLS year-end 2025 statistics (Ada County median ~$555K) |
| Portland, OR | ~$515K | Higher overall cost of living RMLS Market Action, November 2025 (metro monthly median $535K) |
| Seattle, WA | ~$854K | Well above Boise on cost of living NWMLS 2025 annual data (King County median ~$860K) |
| Spokane, WA | Ask for current pricing | Could not be verified No current median we can verify from our three MLS sources (NWMLS, RMLS, IMLS); ask us for current pricing |
| Bend, OR | Ask for current pricing | Could not be verified No current median we can verify from our three MLS sources (NWMLS, RMLS, IMLS); ask us for current pricing |
Home prices and market statistics on this site come only from three MLS sources, each cited with a data date: Boise, Intermountain MLS (IMLS) year-end 2025 statistics, Ada County median ~$555K; Portland, RMLS Market Action, November 2025, metro monthly median $535K; Seattle, NWMLS 2025 annual data, King County median ~$860K. Spokane and Bend sit outside the coverage of those three sources, so we could not verify their current medians and did not print figures; ask for current pricing instead. Cost-of-living differentials are not home prices: they vary by tracker and could not be verified to our standard, so we do not print hard percentages for them.
Taxes
The tax trade, state by state
No single tax number tells the story. The honest picture is a trade: Idaho's flat income tax and modest property taxes against the no-income-tax states (like Washington) with their combined local tax load, or the steep-income-tax, no-sales-tax states (like Oregon). Your filer status decides which trade wins.
Idaho
5.3% flat
Income tax
Single flat rate for 2025 and 2026 per the Idaho State Tax Commission. Social Security benefits are exempt; most other retirement income is taxed like wages. A 6 percent state sales tax applies to most groceries, with an annual grocery tax credit for residents.
Oregon
Up to 9.9%
Income tax
Graduated income tax that reaches 9.9 percent at the top, per Oregon tax schedules. Oregon has no state sales tax; if your move starts there, that is the trade to weigh hardest.
Washington
No income tax
Income tax
Washington has no state income tax, so Idaho's 5.3 percent flat rate is the honest new line in the budget if your move starts there. Lower Idaho home prices and property taxes offset it for many owners.
Idaho
~0.50%
Effective property tax rate
Average effective rate on owner-occupied housing, Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County 2026 (data year 2024); Ada County overall average ~0.64% per the Idaho State Tax Commission 2025 report.
Washington
~0.75%
Effective property tax rate
Average effective rate on owner-occupied housing, Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County 2026 (data year 2024).
Oregon
~0.81%
Effective property tax rate
Average effective rate on owner-occupied housing, Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County 2026 (data year 2024).
U.S. median
~1%
Effective property tax rate
National median effective rate, roughly 0.9 percent per U.S. Census Bureau ACS / Tax Foundation data (data year 2024).
Income and sales tax rates per the Idaho State Tax Commission (flat 5.3 percent individual income tax and 6 percent state sales tax, in effect for 2025 and 2026) and Oregon tax schedules. Statewide effective property tax rates per the Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County, 2026 report (data year 2024); Ada County figure per the Idaho State Tax Commission, 2025 Average Property Tax Rates report. Rates change with legislation, so confirm current schedules with official sources or a CPA before you plan.
Utilities & groceries
Electricity is verifiable. The rest is a question.
Residential electricity is one of the few utility costs with a clean, named public source, and Idaho's low rate is a genuine advantage: the 2025 annual average was about 11.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, among the lowest in the nation, versus roughly 13.1 in Washington, 15.4 in Oregon, and 17.2 nationally (U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, 2025 annual state averages). Rates vary by utility and month, so your actual bill depends on your provider and home.
Natural gas, water, internet bundles, and bundled utility comparisons could not be verified here with a stable, named public source, so we are not printing numbers for them. Ask for current pricing from the utilities serving the exact address, or ask us and we will point you at the right providers.
| Place | Avg. rate (2025) | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | ~11.8 | cents per kWh |
| Washington | ~13.1 | cents per kWh |
| Oregon | ~15.4 | cents per kWh |
| U.S. average | ~17.2 | cents per kWh |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly (Table 5.6.A), 2025 annual state averages for residential customers. Figures are approximate and vary by utility and month.
Groceries
Taxed at the register, and that is the headline
Idaho applies its 6 percent state sales tax to most groceries (Idaho State Tax Commission, current state rate for 2025 and 2026), with an annual grocery tax credit for residents to offset part of it. If you are moving from a state where groceries are exempt from sales tax, that advantage ends at the Idaho state line; most states tax groceries at some rate. Exact basket-to-basket grocery price comparisons vary by tracker and could not be verified with a stable public source, so ask for current pricing where you will actually shop.
The honest list
What we could not verify
Specific grocery basket prices, natural gas and bundled utility averages, childcare costs, and health insurance premiums all vary too widely by provider, plan, and address for us to print with a named source and data date. We would rather say so than invent a number. Ask us for the current picture for your family, or check the providers serving the exact address.
The Treasure Valley angle
Inside the valley, price varies town to town
The Boise median is the middle of a wide range. Eagle and riverfront Boise sit at the top, Meridian and Star fill the middle, and the Canyon County cities, Nampa, Caldwell, and Middleton, plus Kuna and Marsing, consistently offer the valley's most attainable pricing. The honest move is to compare by town, not by metro, and to check current listings for the specific home size you need.
Nampa & Caldwell
The Canyon County cities with metro-scale amenities and the friendliest pricing in the valley. Ask us for current figures.
Meridian & Star
The suburban middle: new construction and West Ada schools at pricing that shifts as phases sell out.
Eagle & riverfront Boise
The premium end: larger lots, river views, and resort-adjacent neighborhoods where pricing carries a real premium.
Run the real numbers with us, town by town.
Every figure on this page is dated and sourced, and every one will drift. Tell us your current home, your income, and the town you are eyeing, and we will build the honest side-by-side, then point you at current listings and pricing.