Anchorage, AK vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Anchorage to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Las Vegas 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 $92,053 in Las Vegas, NV (−$7,947).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($235 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $20,844 | −$396 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $4,841 | −$382 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $4,740 | +$1,390 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,548 | −$1,404 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,300 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $4,779 | −$140 |
| Total | $38,685 | $38,052 | −$633 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |