Anchorage, AK vs Providence, RI
Moving from Anchorage to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Providence 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 $95,074 in Providence, RI (−$4,926).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($235 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $25,956 | +$4,716 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $4,922 | −$302 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,875 | +$525 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $3,060 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,700 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $13,121 | +$8,202 |
| Total | $38,685 | $52,634 | +$13,949 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $68 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $164 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $110 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 16.6 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 74.0 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 41% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |