Cost of living in Anchorage, AK
The Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 people) ranks #24 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Anchorage with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Anchorage to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Seattle, WA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Anchorage: $102,000
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $102,000 in Anchorage, AK to match $110,000 in Seattle, WA ($8,000 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Neither Washington nor Alaska taxes wages; neither city levies a resident income tax.
See the full Washington to Alaska report
There is no city-to-city report for this move. The state report compares taxes, housing and moving costs.
What things cost in Anchorage
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Anchorage
On a $105,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $82,427 after 2026 federal tax ($14,270), Social Security and Medicare ($8,033). Alaska has no state income tax on wages, plus $271 in state payroll programs.
Housing
| Measure | Anchorage area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,491/mo |
| Median home value | $410,900 |
| Median property tax | $4,752/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,681 |
| Median household income | $102,698 |
Climate and jobs in Anchorage
In the Anchorage area the average January low is 11°F and the average July high 66°F, and the area almost never reaches 90°F. Unemployment averaged 4.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $60,200 a year, 18% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 11°F |
| July high | 66°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 0 a year |
| Precipitation | 16 in a year |
| Snowfall | 78 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $60,200 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 177,050 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Anchorage International Airport station (USW00026451). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Anchorage
A single retiree spends about $3,465 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,252 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Anchorage
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Anchorage area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 96.3 of 100), with expected losses of about $1,326 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Alaska.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Anchorage?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $80,100 in Anchorage. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $59,640, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $114,920.
Is Anchorage expensive?
The Anchorage metro area's price level is 105.4 (U.S. = 100), #24 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 109.9, 10% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Anchorage?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Anchorage had a net loss of about 918 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Anchorage?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Anchorage area (Anchorage International Airport weather station), the average January low is 11°F and the average July high 66°F. The area almost never reaches 90°F and gets 16 inches of precipitation a year and about 78 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Anchorage?
The Anchorage metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $60,200 a year in May 2025, 18% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Anchorage?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 96.3). The highest relative risks are earthquake, landslide, avalanche.
Cities with similar prices
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Moving from Alaska