Tampa, FL vs Anchorage, AK
Moving from Tampa to Anchorage? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($360,738 → $422,103 median home) and taxes.
Tampa 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 Tampa, FL, you'd need about $104,194 in Anchorage, AK (+$4,194).
Livability — Tampa, FL: 65 · Anchorage, AK: 49 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,564 sqft in Tampa vs 2,132 sqft in Anchorage ($195 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tampa, FL | Anchorage, AK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,216 | $21,240 | −$2,976 |
| Groceries | $4,949 | $5,224 | +$275 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,350 | −$1,450 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,952 | +$1,296 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $1,000 | −$3,200 |
| Taxes | $4,642 | $4,919 | +$277 |
| Total | $44,463 | $38,685 | −$5,778 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tampa, FL | Anchorage, AK |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 106.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.92% | 5.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.3% | -0.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 26 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $6.08 |
| Median home price | $360,738 | $422,103 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.4% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $235 |
| Median rent | $2,018 | $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 | 0.80% | 1.24% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $9,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 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 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 760 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 65 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 5 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |