Compare / Boise City to San Francisco
Boise City, ID vs San Francisco, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $2,157 a month in Boise City.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $2,157: San Francisco is higher at $3,697 versus $1,540.
Idaho taxes wages at a flat 5.30%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 3.0 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.28 percentage points, higher in California.
After a move from Idaho to California, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Boise City lines up with about $88,128 in San Francisco on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Boise City
Boise City, ID
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,540
- HUD area
- Boise City, ID HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,628
- All-items price parity
- 98.4
- Goods price parity
- 96.2
- Utilities price parity
- 70.7
- Mean commute
- 23.8 min
- Median household income
- $88,695
San Francisco
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,697
- HUD area
- San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,435
- All-items price parity
- 115.6
- Goods price parity
- 108.5
- Utilities price parity
- 172.6
- Mean commute
- 32.7 min
- Median household income
- $135,590
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$88,128
Salary in San Francisco that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$91,639
Gross salary in San Francisco whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$180,049
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Idaho | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 5.30% flat | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.0% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.43% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,713 a year in Idaho and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Idaho and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
Boise CityLikely eligible
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
Boise CityLikely eligible
San FranciscoLikely eligible
WIC
Boise CityLikely eligible
San FranciscoLikely eligible
School meals
Boise CityLikely eligible
San FranciscoLikely eligible
LIHEAP
Boise CityMaybe
San FranciscoMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
Boise CityLikely eligible
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
Boise CityLikely eligible
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
Boise CityUnlikely
San FranciscoUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
Boise CityLikely eligible
San FranciscoLikely eligible
SSI
Boise CityUnlikely
San FranciscoUnlikely
| Program | Boise City | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Boise City
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Boise City.
- Boise City and San Jose · rent gap $1,732
- Boise City and Boston · rent gap $1,468
- Boise City and New York · rent gap $1,431
- Boise City and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,424
- Boise City and San Diego · rent gap $1,283
- Boise City and Miami · rent gap $1,024
- Boise City and Seattle · rent gap $1,009
- Boise City and Urban Honolulu · rent gap $1,002
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.