Anchorage, AK vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Anchorage to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Baltimore at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Anchorage, AK, you'd need about $96,640 in Baltimore, MD (−$3,360).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($235 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $23,028 | +$1,788 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $5,075 | −$149 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,685 | +$335 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $2,388 | −$564 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,400 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $11,584 | +$6,665 |
| Total | $38,685 | $47,160 | +$8,475 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $68 | $88 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $164 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $110 | $82 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 27 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 16.6 | 45.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 74.0 | 19.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 41% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |