Anchorage vs Bellingham
The short version
- Bellingham is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Anchorage area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $395,900 in Anchorage and $627,500 in Bellingham.
- Households earn more in Anchorage ($103,284 vs $66,755 median).
- Bellingham has the warmer winter: January highs of 46°F vs 23°F.
- Anchorage gets far more snow: 78 inches a year vs 3.
- Bellingham is growing faster: +5.4% since 2020 vs -1.4%.
Side by side
| Anchorage, AK | Bellingham, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 287,155 | 96,395 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.4% | +5.4% |
| People per square mile | 168 | 3,419 |
| Median age | 35.2 | 34.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 49% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $103,284 | $66,755 |
| Median home value | $395,900 | $627,500 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 9.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,489 | $1,577 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 105.4 | 103.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 109.9 | 112.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,100 | $77,500 |
| Homeowners | 64% | 45% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.8 | 18.1 |
| Work from home | 11% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 8.9% | 18.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 23° / 11° | 46° / 34° |
| July high / low | 66° / 53° | 73° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 78 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 0 | 0 |
| Nights below freezing | 186 | 59 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.4 | 91.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 78% | 94% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.5% | +0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +38.1% | +34.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Anchorage: June to August. Bellingham: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Anchorage weather by month and Bellingham weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $79,100 in Anchorage and $77,500 in Bellingham. Moving from Anchorage to Bellingham, you would need about $73,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Anchorage and Bellingham
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Anchorage and Bellingham.
Which would you pick?
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