Boston, MA vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Boston to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($741,868 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Boston 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 Boston, MA, you'd need about $96,719 in Anchorage, AK (−$3,281).
Livability — Boston, MA: 48 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,146 sqft in Boston vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($436 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Boston, MA | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $38,532 | $21,240 | −$17,292 |
| Groceries | $5,040 | $5,224 | +$184 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,350 | +$140 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,952 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,000 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $17,694 | $4,919 | −$12,774 |
| Total | $69,455 | $38,685 | −$30,770 |
Side by side
| Metric | Boston, MA | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 110.4 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.02% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 26 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.28 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $741,868 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.9× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.6% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $436 | $235 |
| Median rent | $3,211 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 5 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |