Boise, ID vs Mountain View, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Boise

73.2

#766 nationally

Mountain View

63.3

#1779 nationally

Boise leads in cost of living index (104 vs 285). Mountain View leads in median household income ($174,156 vs $82,500). Mountain View leads in walk score (66 vs 38).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Boise, ID	Mountain View, CA
WhereAtHome Score	73.2 (#766)	63.3 (#1779)
Population	237,963	81,785
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$507,649	$1,962,774
Median Household Income	$82,500	$174,156
Average Commute	19.1 min	24.2 min
Walk Score	38	66
Crime Level	Low	8.4
School Rating	7.8	N/A
Cost of Living Index	104	285
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+10.3	D+40.0