🇺🇸 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.

Use my own healthcare cost

Lifestyle	Needed to retire here	Monthly Cost
Lean FIRE	$1.06M	$3,550/mo
FIRE	$1.8M	$6,000/mo
Fat FIRE	$4.5M	$15,000/mo

Cost data: Q1 2026 · Medium confidence

Cost of Living Breakdown for Boise

All cost and FIRE figures assume a single adult.

Lean FIRE Lifestyle

$1.06M

A one-bedroom apartment in the Bench or Garden City, a paid-off car, and cooking at home most nights. Healthcare on an ACA Silver plan takes a meaningful share of the budget. Entertainment leans heavily on free public lands -- the Boise Foothills, the Greenbelt, and nearby BLM land are all accessible without spending much. This is a simple, outdoors-focused life with real budget constraints, but manageable if you do not need urban amenities.

FIRE Lifestyle

$1.8M

A three-bedroom home in Harris Ranch or the North End with Foothills views, regular dinners at Chandlers and Richard's, and a late-model SUV for mountain roads. You can afford premium health insurance, a golf membership, BSU season tickets, and multiple ski passes. Weekend fly-fishing trips and regular travel are within budget. This is a genuinely affluent life by Boise standards, with plenty of flexibility for outdoor pursuits and entertainment.

Fat FIRE Lifestyle

$4.5M

A large property in the Foothills or Eagle with mountain views, a cook who comes in several times a week, full-time domestic help, and top-tier concierge healthcare. You travel first class, keep multiple vehicles, and dine out without thinking about the cost. A second home in Sun Valley is feasible at this budget. Boise is a small enough city that this level of spending puts you among the most comfortable residents in the metro, with significant margin for charitable 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 Mild

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 $1.06M (Lean FIRE lifestyle) to $4.5M (Fat FIRE lifestyle). A FIRE retirement requires a portfolio of approximately $1.8M, based on estimated monthly costs of $6,000 and a 4% safe withdrawal rate.

How much does it cost to retire in Boise?

Monthly living costs in Boise range from $3,550 (Lean FIRE) to $6,000 (FIRE), covering housing, dining, groceries, healthcare, transportation, entertainment, and utilities.

What is healthcare like in Boise for retirees?

Healthcare in Boise costs approximately $625 to $700/month depending on coverage level. ACA marketplace Silver plan through Your Health Idaho exchange.

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?

High – consistently ranked among safest US cities