City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Anchorage | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,405/mo | $1,791/mo | 21.6% lower in A |
| Median home value | $363,800 | $822,600 | 55.8% lower in A |
| Median household income | $95,731 | $76,244 | 25.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 103.9 | 104.0 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 124.8 | 82.4 | 51.5% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 104.1 | 100.5 | 3.7% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 103.4 | 104.0 | 0.6% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Anchorage, you'd need $107,692 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Anchorage, AK is about 7.1% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 22% lower in Anchorage than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Anchorage, you'd need about $86,153 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.