The short answer for 2026, based on Idaho's cost of living — plus what people actually earn.
The typical Idaho household earns about $62,000 — roughly 12% below the $69,500 a comfortable lifestyle costs here. That gap is why cost of living matters so much in Idaho.
| Lifestyle | Salary needed |
|---|---|
| Modest (single, essentials covered) | $46,500 |
| Comfortable (average-state lifestyle) | $69,500 |
| Very comfortable (room to save) | $93,000 |
Figures scale each benchmark by Idaho's BLISS cost score (0.93). They estimate the pre-tax salary needed to match that spending power — actual needs vary by city, household size, and lifestyle.
A salary is not what you keep. See your actual paycheck after Idaho and federal taxes.
Calculate my take-home pay ›To live the way $75,000 does in an average U.S. state, you need about $69,500 in Idaho, because its cost of living is 7% below the U.S. average (a BLISS score of 0.93). A modest single-person budget is closer to $46,500, and $93,000 buys a very comfortable lifestyle with room to save.
About $62,000 a year. That is what a typical Idaho household actually earns — useful to compare against the $69,500 a comfortable lifestyle costs in the state.
Idaho's cost of living is 7% below the U.S. average, ranking #22 of 50 for affordability (#1 = cheapest). On our overall Best Life Rank, which weighs cost against quality of life, Idaho sits at #12 of 50.