Phoenix, AZ vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Phoenix to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $102,001 in Anchorage, AK (+$2,001).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($242 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $21,240 | +$336 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $5,224 | +$305 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,350 | −$610 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $2,952 | +$1,284 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,000 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $4,919 | −$2,361 |
| Total | $40,531 | $38,685 | −$1,846 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $235 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.90 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $68 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $164 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $110 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 5 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 16.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 74.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 41% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |