Anchorage, AK vs Boston, MA
Moving from Anchorage to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Boston 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 $103,392 in Boston, MA (+$3,392).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($235 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $38,532 | +$17,292 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $5,040 | −$184 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,210 | −$140 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $3,180 | +$228 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,800 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $17,694 | +$12,775 |
| Total | $38,685 | $69,455 | +$30,771 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |