What to know before you move: cost, market timing, who it fits.
If you're considering a move to Garden City, ID, the most important variables are the local housing market, the cost structure (taxes, insurance, utilities), and how well the city fits your day-to-day life. This page summarizes the housing market read; pair it with the cost of living page for the full picture.
Garden City is a city in Ada County, Idaho, with an estimated population of 12,936. It anchors the Boise City metro area. The population grew 1.2% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Garden City is $474,544 as of 2026-04, down 1.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +1.7% annual growth (-8.8% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Garden City average $1,786 per month, up 4.8% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 56 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.
Sideways market (-1.7% YoY). No urgency to time the macro trend — focus on the home and neighborhood.
Reasons people move here
- Net positive migration: population up 1.2% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
- The data is the data: Garden City has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.
Things to know first
- Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.
- Local nuance (school zones, neighborhood quality) varies block by block — visit before deciding.
More about Garden City
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.