Baltimore, MD vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Baltimore to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Anchorage 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 Baltimore, MD, you'd need about $103,476 in Anchorage, AK (+$3,476).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($214 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $21,240 | −$1,788 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $5,224 | +$149 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,350 | −$335 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $2,952 | +$564 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,000 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $4,919 | −$6,665 |
| Total | $47,160 | $38,685 | −$8,475 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 26 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $235 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 5 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |