Idaho Falls composite
58.4 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Idaho Falls vs Twin Falls
Idaho Falls, ID and Twin Falls, ID * side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 58.4
- Idaho Falls Life Score
- B+
- Idaho Falls grade
- 60.8
- Twin Falls Life Score
- A-
- Twin Falls grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Idaho Falls scores higher on 3 (wages, safety, childcare) and Twin Falls on 4 (cost of living, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Idaho Falls vs Twin Falls across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Idaho Falls Twin Falls ◗
cost of living
46
62
wages
56
16
rent
50
66
safety
74
74
schools
65
66
childcare
87
86
environment
41
91
Idaho Falls and Twin Falls differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Idaho Falls has a cost-of-living index of 94.4 vs Twin Falls's 92.1 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $63,842 in Idaho Falls and $57,042 in Twin Falls. A 2-bedroom averages $1,305/mo vs $1,186/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Idaho Falls vs Twin Falls Comparison
Idaho Falls (ID) and Twin Falls (ID) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 94.4 for Idaho Falls against 92.1 for Twin Falls, a 2.3-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,305/mo in Idaho Falls and $1,186/mo in Twin Falls, a $119/mo difference that compounds to $1,428 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $63,842 across 72,210 jobs in Idaho Falls against $57,042 across 44,180 jobs in Twin Falls. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Idaho Falls carries the same local purchasing power as $97,560 in Twin Falls - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 234.7 per 100,000 residents in ID vs 234.7 in ID, with property-crime rates of 754.4 and 754.4 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: ID lists 778 public schools at a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio, while ID lists 778 schools at 17.1:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $7,315/yr in the Idaho Falls area versus $7,315/yr in Twin Falls - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Twin Falls composite
60.8 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
2.3 pts
Idaho Falls vs Twin Falls BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$119 /mo
Idaho Falls priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls composite (Grade B+)
Twin Falls
Twin Falls composite (Grade A-)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Idaho Falls | Twin Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 94.4 | 92.1 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.2 |
| Services | 69.7 | 70.0 |
| Rents | 84.0 | 73.8 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Twin Falls gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Idaho Falls?
$
Equivalent in Twin Falls:
$97,560
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Idaho Falls: 94.4, Twin Falls: 92.1, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Idaho Falls | Twin Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,034/mo | $819/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,095/mo | $986/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,305/mo | $1,186/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,815/mo | $1,599/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,189/mo | $1,990/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Idaho Falls | Twin Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $63,842 | $57,042 |
| Total Employment | 72,210 | 44,180 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Idaho Falls (ID) | Twin Falls (ID) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 234.7 | 234.7 |
| Property Crime | 754.4 | 754.4 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | ID | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 778 | 778 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 17.1:1 | 17.1:1 |
| Charter Schools | 9.8% | 9.8% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | ID | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $7,315/yr | $7,315/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $7,002/yr | $7,002/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $6,437/yr | $6,437/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | ID | ID |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 135 | 135 |
| Water Systems | 767 | 767 |
| Superfund Sites | 12 | 12 |
| Water Violations | 2,204 | 2,204 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Idaho Falls | Twin Falls |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 43.0 | 23.0 |
| Good Air Days | 79.5% | 76.1% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 7 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | ID | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 5/100 | 5/100 |
| Total Violations | 104,850 | 104,850 |
| Health-Based Violations | 19,965 | 19,965 |
| Systems with Violations | 96.1% | 96.1% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | ID | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 244 | 244 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | ID | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 78/100 | 78/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 38.5 | 38.5 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 41.3 | 41.3 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Idaho Falls more expensive than Twin Falls? ▼
Idaho Falls has a cost of living index of 94.4 compared to Twin Falls's 92.1 (national average = 100). Idaho Falls is 2.3 points above Twin Falls on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Idaho Falls and Twin Falls? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,305/mo in Idaho Falls vs $1,186/mo in Twin Falls, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,034/mo to $819/mo.
How do salaries compare between Idaho Falls and Twin Falls? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $63,842 in Idaho Falls and $57,042 in Twin Falls, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Idaho Falls has the same purchasing power as $97,560 in Twin Falls.
Is Idaho Falls or Twin Falls safer? ▼
At the state level, ID has a violent crime rate of 234.7 per 100,000 residents compared to ID's 234.7 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 754.4 vs 754.4 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Idaho Falls and Twin Falls? ▼
ID has 778 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.1:1, while ID has 778 schools at 17.1:1. Charter schools make up 9.8% of ID schools vs 9.8% in ID. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial