The Surprising Hourly Wage You Need to Actually Afford Rent in Idaho

14 years ago when Jimmy McMillan ran for the governor of New York on a one sentence platform, it was easy for Idahoans to sit back and laugh at the memes and SNL sketches that followed the viral debate. 

According to RentData.org, at that moment in time, the fair market rent for a two bedroom home in Idaho was just $654 a month. But in 2024? We’re doing a lot less giggling when we hear someone say “The rent is too damn high” and a lot more yelling “PREACH!” instead. 

For years, the advice that you should plan on using 30% of your gross income for rent has been the standard. Financial advice website NerdWallet says that the advice is still solid, but they know that in today’s day and age where you’re factoring other expenses like student loans, car payments, car insurance and groceries, it’s not the feasible solution for everyone.  Especially when ALL of those things keep getting more expensive and you’re not seeing a cost of living increase to keep up. 

READ MORE: Where People from Boise Idaho Are Moving the Most

Financially, our family’s in a good place but we still dread a potential rise in rent every time our lease is up. If it’s less than ideal for us, how tough are things for someone trying to make it on minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) in Idaho? We dove into data on the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s website to find out. 

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Whether by choice or by necessity, about 28% of Idaho’s households are renters. According to their data, in order to afford a modest one bedroom rental home at a fair market rent? Someone making minimum wage would have to work 103 hours a week. 

Let’s be honest, we know that not all of Idaho’s rental households are single pringles or empty nesters. A one bedroom home isn’t going to cut it for someone with a family. NLIHC says that in order to rent a two bedroom home while earning minimum wage, Idahoans would have to work 127 hours a week. That would leave you less than six hours a day to sleep, do chores or enjoy activities where you’re not thinking about work.

Their statistics suggest that in order to rent a two-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent, you’d need to make about $23.06 an hour if you’re working a 40-hour week, 52 weeks a year. Obviously, that number changes a little bit depending where in the Gem State you’re trying to live. Here’s how they broke down for several metros across Idaho.