Miami, FL vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Miami to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($475,622 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Miami 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 Miami, FL, you'd need about $95,256 in Anchorage, AK (−$4,744).
Livability — Miami, FL: 57 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,945 sqft in Miami vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($257 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Miami, FL | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $32,316 | $21,240 | −$11,076 |
| Groceries | $5,091 | $5,224 | +$133 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,350 | −$1,450 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,952 | +$1,296 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $1,000 | −$3,200 |
| Taxes | $5,772 | $4,919 | −$853 |
| Total | $53,835 | $38,685 | −$15,150 |
Side by side
| Metric | Miami, FL | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.1 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.38 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $475,622 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.9× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.9% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $257 | $235 |
| Median rent | $2,693 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.90 |
| Natural gas / mo | $38 | $68 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $88 | $164 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $110 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 5 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 67.4 | 16.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 74.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 70% | 41% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |