Columbus, OH vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Columbus to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Columbus 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 Columbus, OH, you'd need about $112,830 in Anchorage, AK (+$12,830).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($202 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $21,240 | +$2,952 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $5,224 | +$518 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,350 | +$325 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,952 | +$852 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,000 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $4,919 | −$4,792 |
| Total | $39,130 | $38,685 | −$445 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 26 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $235 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 5 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |