Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Idaho

You consider moving to Idaho but want to get additional information on living costs, housing, safety, public transport, medical infrastructure, job market, income level, climatic conditions, overall quality of life and much more before making your final decision?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Idaho in the following chapters.

Living in Idaho – Overview

Advantages of Living in Idaho

1. Living costs in Idaho are pretty low compared to national average
2. Housing shortage is not a big problem in most parts of Idaho
3. Rents are still affordable for people in most regions of Idaho
4. Property prices in Idaho are still reasonably low
5. Many people are still able to afford a decent home
6. Overall financial pressure for people in Idaho is rather low
7. Many people in Idaho are pretty relaxed
8. People are usually helpful and friendly
9. You have an easy time socializing in the big cities of Idaho
10. Idaho is not the most hectic state
11. People in Idaho are often less career-focused than in other states
12. Many people in Idaho are genuine and real
13. You may be able to make friends for a lifetime in Idaho
14. Idaho offers lots of beautiful nature
15. You can spend lots of time outdoors
16. You can exercise in a completely natural manner
17. Decent air quality in most parts of Idaho
18. Idaho is a pet-friendly state
19. You can live a pretty original life in Idaho
20. Idaho may be an interesting state to live self-sufficient
21. Pensioners may have a great time in Idaho
22. Warm and dry summers are attractive to many people in Idaho
23. Rather cool winters allow you to go skiing or do other winter sports
24. Real seasons in Idaho may make your life more interesting
25. Idaho is not a crowded state
26. You can get around by car in a pretty efficient manner
27. Many free activities to do in Idaho
28. Many people in Idaho have pretty decent internet connection
29. Decent supply of material goods in most parts of Idaho
30. Distances in Idaho are rather short
31. Idaho may still be underrated
32. Moving to Idaho makes sense if you don’t like big city life
33. Idaho may be a great place to raise your kids
34. Idaho is a rather safe state
35. Social problems are not as severe as in many other states yet
36. Highly-qualified people can find decent jobs and make good money in Idaho
37. You will find more than enough recreational spaces in Idaho
38. Country music is a big thing in Idaho

Living costs in Idaho are pretty low compared to national average

One advantage of living in Idaho is that living costs are still rather low in most regions and while people living in NYC or other big metropolitan regions often have to spend lots of money on drinks and many other things of life, people in Idaho can often afford much more for the same budget.

Housing shortage is not a big problem in most parts of Idaho

While demand for housing is about to increase in Boise and other big cities in Idaho, many rural regions don’t have to worry about housing shortage yet and competition in the Idaho housing market is also rather low compared to more popular states.

Rents are still affordable for people in most regions of Idaho

You should also know that rents are still pretty affordable for the average person in most parts of Idaho and this means that people don’t have to spend lots of money on housing yet but will have more money left to spend on other important and nice things.

Property prices in Idaho are still reasonably low

Not only rents are still rather low, but also property prices outside of the big cities in Idaho are reasonably low as well and this allows you to buy a home at a rather cheap price and due to rather limited competition in the Idaho housing market, you may even be able to find undervalued property and may be able to sell it for a far higher price in the future.

Many people are still able to afford a decent home

Thanks to rather low property prices in many rural regions of Idaho, many people are also still able to afford to buy a decent home without having to financially overextend themselves and their risk of foreclosure may therefore be lower compared to people moving to Seattle or other expensive places where property prices are usually much higher.

Overall financial pressure for people in Idaho is rather low

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, many people in Idaho also don’t have to deal with high overall financial pressure and can spend their lives in a more relaxed manner since they just don’t have to worry about money as much as people in much more expensive regions.

Many people in Idaho are pretty relaxed

In general, since they don’t have to worry about financial problems as much as people in more expensive regions, many people in Idaho are also able to live a pretty relaxed life since they don’t have to work many extra hours and may still be able to afford a decent lifestyle.

People are usually helpful and friendly

Another upside to living in Idaho is that you will also meet many friendly and helpful people and in case you get into trouble and need someone to assist you, chances are that you can really count on your friends and social contacts in this region since people in most parts of Idaho are trained to help each other so everyone can benefit from this system in the long run.

You have an easy time socializing in the big cities of Idaho

Since most people in Idaho are friendly and helpful, you can also get in touch with people on various occasions of daily life and as long as you are friendly and tolerant yourself, chances are that you will find more than enough people to hang out with so you don’t have to worry about getting socially isolated.

Idaho is not the most hectic state

You should also know that Idaho is not a hectic state at all and people will usually take the time to help you out and also to get into conversations with you while people in many other states may just care about their own life and may not be willing to change their perspective.

People in Idaho are often less career-focused than in other states

While many people in other states also just care about their career progress and are willing to make many sacrifices when it comes to their social life, people in Idaho may be less career-focused on average and may spend more time on the good things that really matter in life.

Many people in Idaho are genuine and real

Another benefit of living in Idaho is that many people in this region are genuine and real and this means that you can really count on your friends in this region during difficult periods of your life when you urgently need emotional support to overcome those unpleasant situations.

You may be able to make friends for a lifetime in Idaho

Since you can usually really count on your social contacts in Idaho and learn to trust them, you may also be able to make really good friends and some of those people may even stay important to you for the rest of your life and may also just make your life much better in the long run.

Idaho offers lots of beautiful nature

You will also find lots of beautiful nature in Idaho.

This includes nice forests, lakes, rivers, and mountains and you will therefore find more than enough places to relax in nature while you can still have a great time with your loved ones.

You can spend lots of time outdoors

Since Idaho offers lots of beautiful nature, you will also be able to spend lots of time outdoors and this can be great since you can get lots of oxygen which can be really beneficial for your brain and your body so you may be able to achieve much more compared to people who just sit indoors all day long.

You can exercise in a completely natural manner

Since you will spend lots of time on nature activities, you will also be able to exercise in a natural manner so you can stay fit and in shape while many other people who don’t have great nature nearby them may just have to go to the gym to achieve the same fitness level.

Decent air quality in most parts of Idaho

Another advantage of moving to Idaho is that air quality is also pretty decent in most regions and this may help you stay fit and healthy in the long run while people living in regions with poor air quality may be at higher risk of suffering from serious health conditions sooner or later.

Idaho is a pet-friendly state

You should also know that Idaho is a pretty pet-friendly place and when you walk down the streets with your dog, you will meet many great people with similar interests like you and can therefore make many new social connections in a pretty natural manner so you will never run out of conversation partners and people to spend time with in general.

You can live a pretty original life in Idaho

Since Idaho is surrounded by beautiful nature, you can also live a pretty original lifestyle and may be able to preserve lots of knowledge from your ancestors so you may be able to keep some traditions modern and can combine those historical traditions with your modern life so you can get the best out of both worlds and can live in line with natural processes while still staying up-to-date with latest technological progress.

Idaho may be an interesting state to live self-sufficient

Since property prices are pretty low outside the big cities of Idaho and climatic conditions are decent, you may also be able to live a self-sufficient lifestyle since you can just buy or rent a piece of land, grow your own veggies and fruits and may no longer have to rely on traditional stores to get what you need for most things of daily life.

Pensioners may have a great time in Idaho

Also if you belong to the older generation, Idaho may be an interesting place to retire for you since you will be able to do many nice things in nature while you will still not be confronted with as high property prices as people in Washington D.C. or other expensive places often have to deal with and you may therefore be able to live a decent lifestyle even if you don’t receive a great pension.

Warm and dry summers are attractive to many people in Idaho

Another upside to moving to Idaho is that you will also be able to experience many warm and dry summers and this gives you the incentive to spend lots of time outdoors and you can also get tanned while people in rainier regions often have a hard time getting as many hours of sun as they may like.

Rather cool winters allow you to go skiing or do other winter sports

Not only can you enjoy great summers but you can also experience really interesting winters since it often snows in Idaho and you are therefore able to go skiing and to do other winter sports so you can have a really great time both in summer and winter in this region.

Real seasons in Idaho may make your life more interesting

Compared to people living in El Paso or other regions where it is warm almost all year long, you may also have a more interesting life in Idaho since you can experience real seasons and may also be able to do many different things while people in warmer regions may not be able to do winter sports at all and may get fed up with warm weather sooner or later.

Idaho is not a crowded state

While Idaho becomes increasingly popular all over the US, it is still not the most crowded state and this means you will have more than enough public space for yourself and during times you want to be on your own, you can make sure not to run into people so you can think about complex problems that need to be solved without being distracted by annoying people.

You can get around by car in a pretty efficient manner

Since Idaho is not a crowded state, also traffic is not a big deal in most regions of this state and you will therefore be able to get around by car in a rather efficient manner while people living in L.A. or other more crowded places often lose lots of time in traffic jams and may be late to important meetings quite often.

Many free activities to do in Idaho

Since you can do many things in nature, you will also find many free things to do and this allows you to save lots of money so you will be able to live a decent lifestyle in the Idaho region even if you don’t make great money from what you are doing and may be able to afford many more things for the same budget compared to people living in more expensive regions.

Many people in Idaho have pretty decent internet connection

As long as you live in the urban parts of Idaho, you will also have a pretty good internet connection and can therefore make video calls to stay in touch with your loved ones in other states and you can also stay up-to-date with latest developments in general so you may be able to adjust important decisions accordingly.

Decent supply of material goods in most parts of Idaho

You also don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods in most parts of Idaho since overall supply of goods is pretty decent and you will find what you need pretty close to your home in most urban regions of Idaho.

Distances in Idaho are rather short

Idaho is also a rather small state and you may therefore have a rather easy time visiting friends in different regions in Idaho without having to drive as much as would be the case in larger states where distances are often bigger.

Idaho may still be underrated

Since living and housing costs are still rather low in most parts of Idaho and you can experience lots of beautiful nature, Idaho may still be underrated by many people in the US and you may be able to benefit from this by moving to Idaho right now since you could benefit from many nice things at a rather affordable price.

Moving to Idaho makes sense if you don’t like big city life

While some people love big city life, others just don’t like it at all and if you belong to the second group of people and rather want to live your life in a peaceful atmosphere close to nature, you may be better off moving to Idaho than to more crowded states with bigger cities.

Idaho may be a great place to raise your kids

Since Idaho is a rather quiet state where you can experience lots of beautiful nature, it may also be a great state to raise your kids since you can do many awesome nature activities and can also show your kids why it is so important to protect our planet so they become responsible adults and may make a positive contribution for our planet.

Idaho is a rather safe state

Another benefit of moving to Idaho is that it is also a pretty safe state and you will therefore not have to worry about getting involved in serious incidents as much as people moving to Detroit or other regions that have to deal with much higher crime rates.

Social problems are not as severe as in many other states yet

While social inequality is about to increase, it is still not as of a big deal as in many other states and people from different social classes still live together in harmony in many places of Idaho.

Highly-qualified people can find decent jobs and make good money in Idaho

While the average income in Idaho is not great, highly-qualified people can still make decent money in this region and since living and housing costs are still reasonably low, you may be able to afford many amenities with an average income in Idaho.

You will find more than enough recreational spaces in Idaho

Since Idaho has lots of beautiful nature and also many nice parks within the big cities, you will also find more than enough recreational spaces where you can relax and reload your batteries for the challenging times that may be yet to come.

Country music is a big thing in Idaho

Moving to Idaho may also be a great idea in case you love country music since this kind of music is deeply anchored in the local culture and you will therefore find more than enough opportunities to spend time on this music style.

As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Idaho.

Yet, there are also some serious drawbacks of living in Idaho that I want to talk about in the following so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to move to Idaho or rather want to spend your life in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Idaho

1. Hard to find really good education in many parts of Idaho
2. Bringing your kids to school may be a challenge in the rural parts of Idaho
3. Rents and property prices are about to increase significantly
4. Housing shortage may become a problem in the biggest cities in Idaho
5. Income level in Idaho is not as high as in many other states
6. Idaho doesn’t have many big airports
7. Cold winters may get annoying for many people living in Idaho
8. Not many great sports teams in Idaho
9. Nightlife is not great in many parts of Idaho
10. Idaho may not be the most exciting state
11. You may get bored with your life in Idaho sooner or later
12. Idaho is not located at the coast
13. Moving to Idaho doesn’t make sense if you love big city life
14. Not many great shopping opportunities in Idaho
15. Idaho is not the most bicycle-friendly state
16. Public transport is pretty poor in many parts of Idaho
17. You may have to rely on your car to get around in an efficient manner
18. Hard to build a strong business network in Idaho
19. Unemployment may become a serious problem in Idaho
20. Low-qualified people often have a hard time finding decent jobs in Idaho
21. Idaho may not be the most popular state
22. Not many international tourists visit Idaho
23. Medical infrastructure is rather poor in the rural parts of Idaho
24. Many young people may leave Idaho sooner or later
25. Idaho may not be a great place for students
26. Nature in Idaho becomes increasingly polluted
27. Climate change makes natural disasters in Idaho more common
28. Not many big cities in Idaho
29. Social inequality may get worse due to increasing property prices and rents
30. You may meet snakes in Idaho sooner or later
31. Cultural diversity is often not great in the rural parts of Idaho
32. Idaho may become increasingly crowded in the future

Hard to find really good education in many parts of Idaho

One problem with moving to Idaho is that you will often have a hard time finding really good education, especially in rural regions where you will not find many good schools or colleges and may therefore have a really hard time getting good education for you and your kids which may translate into worse career opportunities later on.

Bringing your kids to school may be a challenge in the rural parts of Idaho

Since there are not many schools in the rural parts of Idaho, it may also take you quite a long time to bring your kids to school and you may therefore have to rely on homeschooling or other alternative schooling methods if you want to combine your private and professional life in an efficient manner without having to spend lots of time bringing and picking your kids up from school.

Rents and property prices are about to increase significantly

While property prices and rents are still pretty low in the rural parts of Idaho, they are about to increase in the urban parts and many people in Boise or other regions already have to spend significant amounts of money on rent and you may want to move to Houston if you want to enjoy big city life while still not spending lots of money on housing.

Housing shortage may become a problem in the biggest cities in Idaho

Another downside to moving to Idaho is since the state becomes increasingly popular by people from all over the US, also overall demand for housing is about to increase and in some big cities, housing shortage may become a serious problem sooner or later.

Income level in Idaho is not as high as in many other states

You should also know that income levels are not as high as in many other states and if you want to make really good money, you may be better off moving to Hawaii or other regions where income prospects are much better on average instead of moving to Idaho.

Idaho doesn’t have many big airports

You will also not find many big airports in Idaho and this may become a serious problem, especially if you want to travel the world on a regular basis since you would often have to deal with layovers which would make your travels pretty inefficient and time-consuming.

Cold winters may get annoying for many people living in Idaho

While cold winters allow you to experience real seasons and can make your life more interesting, many people still don’t like cold weather at all and in case you are one of those people, you may be better off moving to Austin or other regions where it is usually pretty warm all year long.

Not many great sports teams in Idaho

There are also not many great sports teams in Idaho and in case you are a sports fan and want to watch many games live in person on a regular basis, you may be better off moving to Colorado or other states where you will have more opportunities in this regard.

Nightlife is not great in many parts of Idaho

Another disadvantage of moving to Idaho is that you will also not find many great bars and clubs in most regions and in case you are a party person who needs to have action all night long, you may be better off moving to Las Vegas or other more vibrant regions.

Idaho may not be the most exciting state

Moving to Idaho may also not be a great idea in case you are the type of person who needs adrenaline all day long since you will just not find as many exciting things to do as in other states and may rather spend more time on quiet nature activities.

You may get bored with your life in Idaho sooner or later

Since there are not many great sports teams and rather limited entertainment options in many parts of Idaho, you may also just get bored with your life in Idaho sooner or later, especially if you are still young and want to experience many new and exciting things.

Idaho is not located at the coast

Since Idaho is not located at the coast, you will also not get the opportunity to go surfing or just to relax at the beach and may envy people living in Long Beach or other regions directly located at the coast who are often able to enjoy higher overall quality of life.

Moving to Idaho doesn’t make sense if you love big city life

People in Idaho also just don’t live the classic big city life.

Instead, they spend much more time on nature activities and in case you don’t like fishing, hiking and so on, you may be better off moving to a region where urban city life plays a much bigger role.

Not many great shopping opportunities in Idaho

Compared to many other states, you will also not find many great boutiques or other fancy shopping opportunities in Idaho and in case you love shopping and always want to stay up-to-date with latest trends, moving to Idaho may also not be a great idea for you.

Idaho is not the most bicycle-friendly state

Another downside to living in Idaho is that it is also not the most bicycle-friendly state. In fact, there are just not many bike lanes and other amenities for cyclists and many people are therefore not able to get around by bicycle in an efficient manner in the Idaho region.

Public transport is pretty poor in many parts of Idaho

You should also know that public transport is pretty poor in many parts of Idaho and you may therefore not be able to rely on buses or trains to get around from A to B in an efficient manner.

You may have to rely on your car to get around in an efficient manner

Since public transport is rather poor and unreliable in many parts of Idaho, you may also urgently need a car to get around in an efficient manner and this may be problematic for our planet and may also become a serious issue for people who are no longer able to drive due to various possible reasons and may just be less mobile than in other states with better public transportation infrastructure.

Hard to build a strong business network in Idaho

Since there are not as many big corporations as in other states and you will also have a hard time finding great colleges in most parts of Idaho, you may have a hard time meeting many influential people and may also struggle to build a strong business network which may prevent you from climbing the corporate ladder as quickly as people in stronger economic regions often do.

Unemployment may become a serious problem in Idaho

Another problem with living in Idaho is that unemployment rate is relatively high compared to the rest of the country and if you are unlucky, you may lose your job and may just not be able to find a new job within a reasonable period of time and may get into financial trouble sooner or later.

Low-qualified people often have a hard time finding decent jobs in Idaho

While highly-qualified people are often able to find decent jobs and to make good money from what they are doing, low-qualified people may have a hard time in the Idaho job market and may really struggle to find and keep their jobs in the long run.

Idaho may not be the most popular state

While Idaho becomes increasingly popular all over the US, it is still not the most popular state right now and your loved ones may therefore not understand your decision of moving to Idaho and you may therefore have to justify quite a lot in this regard.

Not many international tourists visit Idaho

Another downside to living in Idaho is that you will also not meet as many international tourists as in other regions since Idaho is just not really popular all over the world and you may therefore have a harder time getting in touch with people from all over the globe compared to people living in Sacramento or other places that are more attractive to tourists.

Medical infrastructure is rather poor in the rural parts of Idaho

You should also be aware of the fact that medical infrastructure is pretty poor in the rural parts of Idaho and in case you live pretty remote, it may take you quite a lot of time to get good medical treatment in one of the major cities of Sacramento and you may therefore lose precious time in case you need medical support as quickly as possible.

Many young people may leave Idaho sooner or later

Since Idaho is not the most exciting state and entertainment options are rather limited in many regions, many young people may also leave Idaho sooner or later and may move to regions where they have more opportunities when it comes to partying and also finding their soulmate.

Idaho may not be a great place for students

Since there are not many great colleges and nightlife is also not great in many parts of Idaho, it may also not be a great place to live for students since you may just not find what you are looking for and may also not be able to get a degree from a world-class university which may prevent you from finding a great job later on.

Nature in Idaho becomes increasingly polluted

Another disadvantage of living in Idaho is that forests, lakes and other parts of nature become increasingly polluted since irresponsible visitors often leave their garbage behind and in case this trend continues, trash may become a serious problem and may lower overall quality of life quite a lot in the long run.

Climate change makes natural disasters in Idaho more common

If you are unlucky, you may also get hit by storms or other natural disasters in the Idaho region sooner or later and due to climate change, those unpleasant events may become even more common in the future.

Not many big cities in Idaho

You will also not find many really big cities in Idaho and may therefore miss the urban lifestyle quite a lot in case you move to Idaho from really big cities since you will not find as many amenities as you may be used to in this region.

Social inequality may get worse due to increasing property prices and rents

While social inequality is not as worse as in many other states in the US, you should still know that it is about to increase in the Idaho region since property prices and rents are about to increase and in case this trend goes on, chances are that there will be serious conflicts between landowners and tenants sooner or later and also social inequality will be about to get worse.

You may meet snakes in Idaho sooner or later

You should also be aware of the fact that there are many snakes in Idaho and in case you want to move to the rural parts of Idaho, it will be pretty likely that you will meet one of those unpleasant animals sooner or later.

Cultural diversity is often not great in the rural parts of Idaho

While you may be able to experience many interesting cultural influences in the biggest cities of Idaho, you may miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Idaho where many people still live pretty traditional and conservative.

Idaho may become increasingly crowded in the future

Since Idaho becomes increasingly popular, it may also become increasingly crowded in the future and this may lead to a state where you might no longer have enough space in public for yourself and life may just become more hectic in this region in general.

Top 10 Moving To Idaho Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Idaho A Good Place To Live?

While Idaho can be a great place to live since you can enjoy beautiful nature and interesting climatic conditions without having to spend enormous amounts of money on housing. Yet, you should still know that Idaho may not be the most exciting state and you may also have a hard time finding really good education and public transport in many rural regions.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Idaho carefully so you can make the best possible decision in this regard according to your individual circumstances.

Most Popular Cities To Live In Idaho – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to Idaho, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Delaware

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Florida

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Alabama

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ID

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.