Anchorage, AK vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Anchorage to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Indianapolis 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 $88,648 in Indianapolis, IN (−$11,352).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($235 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $18,636 | −$2,604 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $4,740 | −$484 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,250 | −$100 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,932 | −$1,020 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,600 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $7,367 | +$2,448 |
| Total | $38,685 | $37,525 | −$1,160 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |