Indianapolis, IN vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Indianapolis to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $112,806 in Anchorage, AK (+$12,806).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($156 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $21,240 | +$2,604 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $5,224 | +$484 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,350 | +$100 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $2,952 | +$1,020 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,000 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $4,919 | −$2,448 |
| Total | $37,525 | $38,685 | +$1,160 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 26 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $235 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 5 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |