Anchorage, AK vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Anchorage to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Tampa 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 $95,975 in Tampa, FL (−$4,025).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($235 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $24,216 | +$2,976 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $4,949 | −$275 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $4,800 | +$1,450 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,656 | −$1,296 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $4,200 | +$3,200 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $4,642 | −$277 |
| Total | $38,685 | $44,463 | +$5,778 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |