Anchorage, AK vs Denver, CO
Moving from Anchorage to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Denver 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 $99,061 in Denver, CO (−$939).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($235 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $22,920 | +$1,680 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $5,079 | −$145 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $4,050 | +$700 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,788 | −$1,164 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $2,800 | +$1,800 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $9,828 | +$4,909 |
| Total | $38,685 | $46,464 | +$7,780 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $302 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |