St. Louis, MO vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from St. Louis to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis 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 St. Louis, MO, you'd need about $112,422 in Anchorage, AK (+$12,422).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($158 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $21,240 | +$3,828 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $5,224 | +$289 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,350 | −$40 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $2,952 | +$1,440 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,000 | −$1,400 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $4,919 | −$5,569 |
| Total | $40,136 | $38,685 | −$1,452 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 26 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $235 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,770 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 4.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 1.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $800 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 27.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 5 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |