Providence, RI vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Providence to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Providence 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 Providence, RI, you'd need about $105,182 in Anchorage, AK (+$5,182).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($328 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $21,240 | −$4,716 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $5,224 | +$302 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,350 | −$525 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $2,952 | −$108 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,000 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $4,919 | −$8,202 |
| Total | $52,634 | $38,685 | −$13,949 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 26 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $235 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 5 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |