Anchorage, AK vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Anchorage to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Philadelphia 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 $95,872 in Philadelphia, PA (−$4,128).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($235 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $22,968 | +$1,728 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $4,909 | −$315 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,440 | +$90 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $2,316 | −$636 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,200 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $10,192 | +$5,273 |
| Total | $38,685 | $45,025 | +$6,340 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $68 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $164 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $110 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 16.6 | 44.1 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 74.0 | 23.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 41% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |