on $100k a year, leaving San Francisco
changea dispatch from
boise
ID
43.62°N
116.20°W
Boise is basically Denver before Denver got Denver-y: walkable downtown, foothills you can run into on your lunch break, and a river slicing right through the middle of town. The Basque Block downtown anchors the biggest Basque community in the U.S., which nobody sees coming. The vibe is 'we close our laptops and go outside,' and the trails make that very easy to do. Locals would prefer you didn't tell anyone.
in our guides
the verdict
under San Francisco, every month
In Boise, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
a quick ledger.
$1,794/mo
43% cheaper than San Francisco(vs $3,146/mo)
5.8%
$292/mo less in state tax than San Francisco
vs 9.3% in San Francisco
$6,056/mo
$1,644 more than San Francisco
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$490k
60% cheaper than San Francisco
vs $1239k in San Francisco
827k
vs 4.6M in San Francisco
field notes, weather & such.
166
pleasant days a year, in boise.
San Francisco actually gets more: 312 pleasant days a year. Summer is real but not punishing: 27 days top 95° vs San Francisco's 0.
Noticeably quieter than San Francisco. About 85% fewer events on a typical month.
82/100
1% lower than San Francisco
vs 83/100 in San Francisco
Closest outdoor draw: Sawtooth National Forest, 48.9 mi.
96/100
3% lower than San Francisco
vs 99/100 in San Francisco
16
86% fewer than San Francisco
vs 111 nonstops in San Francisco
neighbors of boise on the map of tradeoffs:
compare boise with:
