Anchorage, AK vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Anchorage to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Phoenix 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 $98,038 in Phoenix, AZ (−$1,962).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($235 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $20,904 | −$336 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $4,919 | −$305 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,960 | +$610 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,668 | −$1,284 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,800 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $7,280 | +$2,361 |
| Total | $38,685 | $40,531 | +$1,846 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $68 | $54 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $164 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $110 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 41 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 16.6 | 7.2 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 74.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 41% | 85% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |