Moving from Austin to Anchorage

Moving to Anchorage costs you $363 a month

−$4,356 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Austin leftover

$3,173

a month after tax and rent

Anchorage leftover

$2,810

−$363 vs Austin

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Austin, TX and Anchorage, AK
Per monthAustinAnchorageDifference
Gross pay$8,125$8,172+$47
Income and payroll tax$1,710$1,724+$14
Take-home pay$6,415$6,448+$33
Rent$1,226$1,346+$120
Getting around$566$636+$70
Groceries$400$457+$57
Healthcare$450$514+$64
Utilities$250$286+$36
Everything else$350$400+$50
Left over$3,173$2,810−$363

To break even in Anchorage, you'd need to earn

$104,500

Household gross, versus $97,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Austin does now.

The tax difference alone

$0

A year, in state and local income tax. Alaska has no wage income tax.

More about Anchorage

Austin, TX in full

No income tax, but property taxes are among the steepest anywhere.

Anchorage, AK in full

No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,602 and 138 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Anchorage on Anchorage wages.

AnchorageAustin

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Anchorage than Austin?

A one-bedroom is about $1,226 in Austin versus $1,346 in Anchorage. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $363 a month lower in Anchorage. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Anchorage have state income tax?

Anchorage is in Alaska, which has no state income tax.

What changes if you move from Austin to Anchorage?

Take-home pay is recalculated under Alaska tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.