Boise vs Ogden
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $355,600 in Ogden and $484,800 in Boise.
- Households earn more in Boise ($83,904 vs $72,575 median).
- Ogden gets far more snow: 108 inches a year vs 18.
- Commutes are shorter in Boise (19 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Boise, ID | Ogden, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 238,429 | 89,510 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.1% | +2.5% |
| People per square mile | 2,800 | 3,251 |
| Median age | 38.6 | 33.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48% | 26% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $83,904 | $72,575 |
| Median home value | $484,800 | $355,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 4.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,446 | $1,216 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.4 | 100.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 105.6 | 117.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,800 | $75,300 |
| Homeowners | 63% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | 5.3% | 4.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.03% | 7.42% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.9 | 22.5 |
| Work from home | 18% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.6% | 4.1% |
| Poverty rate | 10.6% | 13.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 39° / 26° | 36° / 21° |
| July high / low | 93° / 62° | 91° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 12 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 18 in | 108 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 55 | 49 |
| Nights below freezing | 108 | 121 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 87.8 | 87.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 50% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.7% | +3.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +25.7% | +33.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Boise: May to June and September. Ogden: May to June and September.
Full monthly tables: Boise weather by month and Ogden weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,800 in Boise and $75,300 in Ogden. Moving from Boise to Ogden, you would need about $76,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Boise and Ogden
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Boise and Ogden.
Which would you pick?
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