What salary do you need to live in Boise, ID?
For a single person: about $73,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose ID-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,655 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 4.2% Idaho income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Boise worker earns about $49,100/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $59,500 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 17% short.
Single person — est. essentials $3,970/mo
Tight
take-home covers $3,970/mo
$59,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,764/mo
$73,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $5,955/mo
$95,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,338/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,338/mo
$77,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,406/mo
$94,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $8,007/mo
$120,000/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,747/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,747/mo
$100,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,096/mo
$121,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,121/mo
$158,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,897/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,897/mo
$118,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $9,476/mo
$146,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $11,846/mo
$190,000/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,655) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Idaho's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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