🇺🇸 North America

FIRE Number for Boise, United States

Name: Boise, United States
Address: Boise, United States

United States

Affordable Mountain Living in the Heart of Idaho

FIRE Score Based on safety, healthcare, infrastructure & expat friendliness

Boise offers an unbeatable combination of outdoor recreation, low crime, and a cost of living well below most Western US cities. The Boise Foothills are your backyard, the Boise River Greenbelt runs through town, and world-class skiing is just two hours away. Idaho's flat income tax and affordable housing make every FIRE dollar stretch further.

Lean FIRE, FIRE, and Fat FIRE for Boise

Needed to retire here is the portfolio that, in a historical backtest, would have lasted your retirement at your chosen confidence and length. Status is the verdict for your portfolio. The 4% rule benchmark is shown underneath each figure for reference only. Cost estimates are for a one-person household — adjust household size below.

Household size

Costs scale by category, not a flat multiple — housing is largely shared; food and healthcare scale per person.

Use my own healthcare cost

Lifestyle	Needed to retire here	Monthly Cost
Lean FIRE	$807K	$2,690/mo
FIRE	$1.41M	$4,690/mo
Fat FIRE	$5.17M	$17,250/mo

Cost data: Q3 2026 · Medium confidence

Cost of Living Breakdown for Boise

Cost and FIRE figures are for a one-person household — adjust household size in the controls above.Showing costs for 2 adults.

Lean FIRE Lifestyle

$807K

A cheapest-acceptable studio or older one-bedroom on the Bench or in Garden City, a paid-off car (Boise is very car-dependent, though Idaho insurance is cheap), and cooking at home most nights. The ACA Silver premium stays low only if annual income is kept under the 2026 ~$62,600 subsidy cutoff, and healthcare plus the car form a hard floor. Entertainment leans on free public land — the Foothills, the Greenbelt, nearby BLM trails. A simple, outdoors-focused life with real budget discipline.

FIRE Lifestyle

$1.41M

A high-quality home in Harris Ranch or the North End with Foothills views, regular dinners at Chandlers and The Avery, and a late-model SUV for mountain roads. Premium coverage (padded near the ~$62,600 ACA subsidy cutoff), a golf membership, BSU season tickets, and multiple ski passes all fit. Weekend fly-fishing and regular travel are easy. A genuinely affluent life by Boise standards.

Fat FIRE Lifestyle

$5.17M

A trophy Foothills property or a gated Eagle compound with acreage, household help several days a week, and occasional private-chef evenings alongside the best tables in town, with top-tier concierge medicine. Travel is first class, a premium SUV and car service handle getting around, and a Sun Valley second home is feasible. In a metro this size, roughly $207k a year puts one among the most comfortable residents, with real margin for giving and travel.

Retirement Confidence

The 4% rule is a great starting point. Here we go a step further and test your plan against real market history.

Enter your portfolio on the homepage to backtest a retirement in Boise against market history.

How this is calculated

This is a real historical backtest. We run your plan through every retirement-length window in US market history (1871–2022): a 75% stock / 25% bond portfolio, rebalanced annually, with withdrawals raised each year for that period's actual inflation. The success rate is the share of those historical start years in which the money lasted the full length without running out.

Your confidence level sets the bar: at Balanced (90%), a survival rate of 90% or more reads "You can retire here", within 10 points below is "Close - worth a closer look", and lower is "Not quite yet". The same level sizes the "Needed to retire here" target. Retirement length also drives it - early retirees planning 40–50+ years see lower survival than the 30-year baseline.

Healthcare, Visa & City Overview

climate Four seasons

healthcare Good

english Widely spoken

safety Safe

visa Easy

Timezone

MST (UTC-7)

Currency

USD

Language

English

Avg. Temperature

52°F / 11°C

Internet

150+ Mbps average

Airport

Boise Airport (BOI)

Frequently Asked Questions About Retiring in Boise

What is the FIRE Number for Boise, United States?

The FIRE Number for Boise ranges from $807K (Lean FIRE lifestyle) to $5.17M (Fat FIRE lifestyle). A FIRE retirement requires a portfolio of approximately $1.41M, based on estimated monthly costs of $4,690 and a 4% safe withdrawal rate.

How much does it cost to retire in Boise?

Monthly living costs in Boise range from $2,690 (Lean FIRE) to $4,690 (FIRE), covering housing (market rent), dining, groceries, healthcare, transportation, entertainment, and utilities.

What is healthcare like in Boise for retirees?

Healthcare in Boise costs approximately $460 to $620/month depending on coverage level. Typical coverage at the Lean FIRE budget: A subsidized Silver plan through Your Health Idaho, assuming annual income stays under the 2026 subsidy cutoff of about $62,600. Priced for an early retiree aged 45-55; older retirees should budget more.

What is the weather like in Boise?

Semi-arid with four distinct seasons; snowy winters and warm, dry summers. The average temperature is 52°F / 11°C.

How safe is Boise for retirees?

Boise is generally safe for retirees, scoring 7 out of 10 in our safety ratings.