Anchorage, AK vs Portland, OR
Moving from Anchorage to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Portland 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 $99,947 in Portland, OR (−$53).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($235 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $21,564 | +$324 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $5,240 | +$16 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,680 | +$330 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,704 | −$1,248 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $900 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $14,382 | +$9,463 |
| Total | $38,685 | $47,470 | +$8,785 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |