Meridian vs Salt Lake City
The short version
- Meridian is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Salt Lake City area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $531,600 in Meridian and $539,500 in Salt Lake City.
- Households earn more in Meridian ($100,795 vs $75,090 median).
- Salt Lake City gets far more snow: 52 inches a year vs 18.
- Meridian is growing faster: +21.4% since 2020 vs +9.4%.
Side by side
| Meridian, ID | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 142,988 | 218,428 |
| Growth since 2020 | +21.4% | +9.4% |
| People per square mile | 3,851 | 1,970 |
| Median age | 37.5 | 32.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $100,795 | $75,090 |
| Median home value | $531,600 | $539,500 |
| Home value to income | 5.3× | 7.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,805 | $1,414 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.4 | 100.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 105.6 | 123.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,800 | $75,700 |
| Homeowners | 75% | 46% |
| Top state income tax | 5.3% | 4.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.03% | 7.42% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.4 | 19.5 |
| Work from home | 19% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 2.7% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 6% | 13.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 39° / 26° | 39° / 24° |
| July high / low | 93° / 62° | 94° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 12 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 18 in | 52 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 55 | 62 |
| Nights below freezing | 108 | 112 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 87.8 | 98.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 50% | 33% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.7% | +2.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +25.7% | +33.4% |
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: Meridian: May to June and September. Salt Lake City: May to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Meridian weather by month and Salt Lake City 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 Meridian and $75,700 in Salt Lake City. Moving from Meridian to Salt Lake City, you would need about $76,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Meridian and Salt Lake City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Meridian and Salt Lake City.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.