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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
In plain English: Alaska is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Anchorage leads at an index of 97 with rent at just $1,660/month — 12% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in …
In plain English: Alaska is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Anchorage leads at an index of 97 with rent at just $1,660/month — 12% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
The numbers for Anchorage are straightforward: 97 on the cost index, $1,660/month — make of that what you will — rent, $98,152 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. Fairly typical for a city this size.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Anchorage — cost index 97, rent $1,660/mo, income $98,152
0 of 1 cities keep rent under 30% of $60K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
286,075 residents · Alaska
Dive into Anchorage's numbers: cost index 97 — for better or worse — (14 points below national average), rent $1,660/month, income $98,152, and a home price of $405,601. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 97, while Healthcare runs 99. With 286,075 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Anchorage | 0% | 1.82% | 1.04% | $47,157 |
We model what a $60K salary looks like after taxes in each city: federal income tax (marginal brackets), FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. Then we compare take-home against local rent and costs to determine where the salary stretches furthest. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Anchorage ranks #1 in Alaska for this analysis with a cost index of 97 and median income of $98,152.
Yes. On a $60K salary in Anchorage, rent would consume about 33% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. It's tight — consider a roommate or nearby suburb.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Anchorage is $1,660/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $235 below the national median of $1,895/month.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 0% state income tax, estimated take-home on $60K in Anchorage is approximately $47,157/year ($3,930/month). After median rent of $1,660/month, you'd have roughly $27,237/year for all other expenses.
The median home price in Anchorage is $405,601, which is 4.1× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Alaska has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 1.82%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.04%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.