Anchorage, AK vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Anchorage to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Minneapolis 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 $97,688 in Minneapolis, MN (−$2,312).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($235 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $20,652 | −$588 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $5,227 | +$3 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,375 | +$25 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,776 | −$1,176 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $2,200 | +$1,200 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $16,345 | +$11,426 |
| Total | $38,685 | $49,575 | +$10,890 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |