Housing Market in Idaho
Idaho's housing market is genuinely four different markets, not one: Boise's post-boom, only-partially-recovered metro; Coeur d'Alene's genuinely expensive, California-in-migration-driven lake market; Idaho Falls's more affordable, INL-anchored market; and Ketchum/Sun Valley's ultra-high-end, workforce-housing-strained resort market.
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Learn moreBoise's real, honest before/after story
Boise home prices rose an extraordinary, real 63% from March 2020 to their May 2022 peak -- among the sharpest pandemic-era run-ups of any US metro, with Boise cited as the first major US metro to register a year-over-year price decline as the correction began -- then genuinely fell roughly 12.8% through early 2023. As of 2026, prices have only modestly recovered ($508,258 Zillow average, up just 0.9% year-over-year; $534,700-$535,000 Redfin median, up 2.9%), with homes going to pending in around 6 days -- real, current buyer interest, but genuinely more moderate than the 2021-2022 frenzy.
Coeur d'Alene runs genuinely, currently expensive, tied to real California in-migration
Coeur d'Alene's 2026 median sale price carries a real, disclosed spread across sources ($574,656-$601,000+, with a notably higher, unreconciled $742,495 outlier citation) in a market characterized as 'somewhat competitive' -- homes averaged 1 offer and sold in around 22 days. This runs alongside a real, sourced in-migration story: Kootenai County has drawn an estimated 30,000+ California-origin residents, the largest specific inbound cohort skewing toward residents 61 and older.
Idaho Falls offers genuine, real affordability by comparison
Idaho Falls's 2026 figures ($400,448 Zillow average, up 0.5% year-over-year; $411,000 Redfin median, down 1.0%) run meaningfully below both Boise's and Coeur d'Alene's markets, with 511 homes for sale (down 19.9% year-over-year) and 2.8 months of supply -- characterized as a seller's market by the source reviewed, but at a genuinely different price point than Idaho's two larger metros.
Ketchum/Sun Valley runs an ultra-high-end, genuinely bifurcated market
Ketchum's housing figures carry an unusually wide, real, disclosed cross-source spread ($562,500-$1,631,929+ depending on methodology) -- among the widest of any market in this project, plausibly reflecting a genuinely bifurcated housing stock (modest workforce/employee housing alongside ultra-luxury second homes and estates) rather than one uniform market. A real, documented workforce-housing shortage has intensified since the pandemic era as landlords sell to well-heeled buyers and short-term-rental conversion reduces long-term rental supply further.
Key takeaways
- Boise's housing market tells a real before/after story: an extraordinary 63% pandemic-era surge, a genuine 12.8% correction, and only modest 2026 recovery ($508,258-$535,000 depending on source).
- Coeur d'Alene runs genuinely, currently expensive ($574,656-$601,000+ median), tied to a real, sourced California retiree in-migration story.
- Idaho Falls offers genuine, real affordability ($400,448 average) relative to Idaho's larger metros.
- Ketchum/Sun Valley runs an ultra-high-end, genuinely bifurcated market with a real, documented workforce-housing shortage.
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