Anchorage, AK vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Anchorage to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,103 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Anchorage vs Virginia Beach 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 $91,525 in Virginia Beach, VA (−$8,475).
Livability — Anchorage, AK: 49 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,132 sqft in Anchorage vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($235 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Anchorage, AK | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,240 | $22,344 | +$1,104 |
| Groceries | $5,224 | $4,853 | −$371 |
| Transportation | $3,350 | $3,080 | −$270 |
| Utilities | $2,952 | $1,872 | −$1,080 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,500 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $4,919 | $10,303 | +$5,384 |
| Total | $38,685 | $43,952 | +$5,267 |
Side by side
| Metric | Anchorage, AK | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.8 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.62% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.0% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 26 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.08 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $422,103 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 4.6% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.24% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $9,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $800 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.90 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 760 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 65 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 5 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |