8 Best Places To Retire In Idaho
Idaho is the Gem State, the state with plentiful potatoes, and mountainous beauty. It’s often overlooked as a state to retire, with other, more populous areas chosen. It’s precisely why residents of Idaho love it so much; it’s always underestimated in what it has to offer. With its low population, outdoor recreation, and access to premium care facilities, Idaho is an excellent choice for retirees looking for a versatile place to spend their later years.
Boise
The capital city of Boise is a natural choice for retirees when considering Idaho as their home. While Boise has seen a large increase in population over the past decade, housing prices are trending down. The median home listing price in Boise as of November 2024, was around $565,000. Major hospitals in Boise include St. Lukes Health System and St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center which are both nationally, award winning healthcare facilities.
Boise is a friendly community with many outdoor recreational activities. Retirees will appreciate the multiple scenic areas just minutes away from downtown like the Boise Greenbelt (a 25-mile pathway along the Boise River), the Idaho Botanical Garden, and multiple hiking or walking trails in the foothills surrounding the city. Boise offers a variety of unique social activities for locals to enjoy like the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (an outdoor theatre that puts on superb plays all summer long), farmers markets, and a fantastic music community for live performances.
Eagle
Bordering Boise, Eagle is a thriving suburb community with well-designed neighborhoods and several senior living communities including Eagle Manor, Paramount Parks, Edgewood Spring Creek, Foxtail, and Revel. Eagle is a phenomenal choice for retirees wanting to be close to a larger, accessible city but far enough away to have some space and a sense of community. Eagle's median home listing prices are trending upward, at just under $1M in 2024.
Eagle Island State Park is a local favorite for swimming, walking or hiking trails, and picnics. Sturman’s Eagle is an excellent place for seniors craving a glass of wine and entertainment. There are also many award-winning wineries nearby Eagle: 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards and Dude DeWalt Cellars are two of the most frequented.
Twin Falls
With a good balance of outdoor recreation and affordable living, Twin Falls is an attractive choice for retirement in southern Idaho. Twin Falls is an affordable option, with the median home listing price around $415,000 as of 2024. The city is known for its friendly and welcoming population and nearby recreation. Shoshone Falls "the Niagara of the West" is a massive natural waterfall that can be admired from an observation deck and the Canyon Rim trail along the Snake River Canyon is a great spot to watch BASE jumpers off the Perrine Bridge. There are several medical facilities to choose from in the area, St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center being the largest with major services and specialists available.
Coeur d’Alene
Northern Idaho's gem beauty, Coeur d’Alene, is an exceptional place for retirees to reside long term. Golfing at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course is at the top of bucket lists among golf enthusiasts from all over the world. It features the world’s only floating green and stunning panoramic views of the lake.
Kootenai Health has been named a top 100 hospital in Coeur d’Alene and the town is near other major hospitals in the neighboring state of Washington (Spokane is only 34 miles away). Lake City Center serves seniors in the area with home delivered meals, daily activities, and exercise classes. Coeur d’Alene also has wonderful assisted living facilities like The Renaissance with various floor plans and memory care specialites. Alternatively, the median home listing price is trending upward and sits around $668,000 in 2024.
Ketchum
Retired skiers commence! Nearby Sun Valley Resort boasts world-class skiing in the winter months; snowboarders and skiers from all over the world come to Ketchum for its incredible slopes. Ketchum is appealing to retirees, with a low population, a supportive community of other active seniors, and views of the Sawtooth Mountains around every corner.
The most accessible hospital is St. Lukes Wood River Medical Center, a beautiful facility with over 30 providers and visiting physicians in various specialties. Retirees will also enjoy The Senior Connection, a well-established program for seniors in the Ketchum area that has transportation, fitness classes, caregiving, and meal delivery. For those looking to buy, housing costs are expensive in Ketchum, with the median listing price at around $3.8M. However, the median selling price is much lower, at around $1.2M.
Idaho Falls
In Eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls is a top choice when it comes to balancing affordability with other desirable assets of livability. Cost of living in Idaho Falls is significantly lower than other options in Idaho with median home listing prices around $420,000 as of 2024. The award winning Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center is a full-service care facility and easily accessible in town. Idaho Falls Senior Citizen’s Community Center is a great resource for retirees offering meal deliveries and various activities and exercise classes.
Locals love the Idaho Falls Zoo, the Snake River Greenbelt for walking, and the Japanese Pavilion. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Lava Hot Springs are nearby favorites of Idaho Falls residents.
Sandpoint
Located in the tippy top of the state in the panhandle, Sandpoint is a relaxed lakefront town with a tight knit community for retirees. It’s been named the most beautiful town in America by USA Today in a 2011 article, and for good reason; it is bordered by Lake Pend Oreille and three mountain ranges (Selkirk, Cabinet, and Bitterroot). Sandpoint has countless outdoor recreation spots for locals; swimming, hiking, huckleberry picking, fishing, and skiing are all very popular with locals in the community.
Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint offers many services for retirees and neighboring major city, Spokane, has many additional specialized centers if needed. Sandpoint Senior Center has been serving seniors for 50 years and is dedicated to senior health and wellness with several exercise classes and meal delivery. In 2024, the median home listing price in Sandpoint was $850,000. Assisted living facilities like The Bridge at Sandpoint or Lakeside Assisted Living cost roughly $5,000 per month.
Emmett
A small town close to Boise’s amenities, Emmett is an attractive getaway for retirees. Known for its fertile soil, Emmett produces a variety of delicious fruit like apples, peaches, and cherries! There is an annual cherry festival every June and nearby Black Canyon Reservoir has fantastic fishing, boating, and hiking.
Emmett's housing costs are slightly lower than the neighboring cities of Boise or Eagle, with a median home listing price of $515,000.There is an urgent care center at the Valor Health Center with some specialty medical practices; nearby Boise provides larger hospitals and broader services for anything further. Seniors will also enjoy the Gem County Senior and Community Center with multiple exercise classes and activities.
Retiring in Idaho
Active retirees who love the great outdoors will thrive in Idaho’s overlooked beauty. The quaint communities are surrounded by natural beauty and endless recreation opportunities. Idaho is tax friendly for retirees drawing social security (not taxed), making it an affordable option for stretching every dollar. Excellent healthcare, low population, pretty seasons, and the lack of many natural disasters, Idaho truly is a Gem state. Considering retirement in Idaho is an easy “yes, please!”
