Moving from Kansas City to Anchorage

You'd keep $218 more a month in Anchorage

+$2,616 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Kansas City leftover

$2,596

a month after tax and rent

Anchorage leftover

$2,814

+$218 vs Kansas City

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Kansas City, MO and Anchorage, AK
Per monthKansas CityAnchorageDifference
Gross pay$7,583$8,178+$594
Income and payroll tax$1,905$1,726−$179
Take-home pay$5,679$6,452+$773
Rent$1,184$1,346+$162
Getting around$551$636+$85
Groceries$372$457+$85
Healthcare$419$514+$95
Utilities$233$286+$53
Everything else$326$400+$74
Left over$2,596$2,814+$218

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

$94,500

Household gross, versus $91,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Kansas City does now.

The tax difference alone

+$4,260

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

More about Anchorage

Kansas City, MO in full

Genuinely low cost of living for a metro with real amenities.

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.

AnchorageKansas City

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Anchorage than Kansas City?

A one-bedroom is about $1,184 in Kansas City versus $1,346 in Anchorage. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $218 a month higher 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 Kansas City 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.