Boise vs Meridian: What Kind of Holiday Budgets Do Locals Have?

Let’s face it, the holidays are expensive. In fact, not only is it proven that the holidays are becoming increasingly more expensive, but people are becoming bigger and worse spenders — finding themselves more in debt and less prepared for their holiday expenses.

There’s a recent article from WalletHub that shares a list of cities in America ranked by their holiday budgets. They say...

“Aside from bringing good cheer, the holidays also can invite seasonal stress, a primary source of which is our addiction to spending. Last year, holiday sales grew 14.1% from the previous year and reached a record $886.7 billion. This year, though, holiday shopping may be more stressful than usual due to high inflation putting a strain on many people’s finances.”

Yes. Inflation. More than preparing for holiday spending, consumers are already struggling with their current, normal expenses. WalletHub aimed to help consumers avoid “post-holiday regret” by calculating the maximum holiday budget for over 550 U.S. cities — taking into consideration five key characteristics of the population, including income, age, and savings-to-monthly expenses ratio.

3 of our Treasure Valley cities were ranked on this list of 550 cities — which ones were calculated to have the biggest holiday budgets?

• Nampa was ranked #450 with a holiday budget of $777

• Boise was ranked #397 with a holiday budget of $850

• Meridian was ranked #185 with a holiday budget of $1,274

All things considered, our cities appear to be fairly average or in the middle. However, it’s definitely apparent that even when compared to other cities in America, Nampa is on the lower-end and Meridian is on the higher-end.

Keep scrolling for a list of the most expensive (and most affordable) places to live in Idaho and more 👇