Anchorage vs Honolulu
The short version
- Anchorage is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Honolulu area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $395,900 in Anchorage and $843,400 in Honolulu.
- Households earn more in Anchorage ($103,284 vs $86,504 median).
- Honolulu has the warmer winter: January highs of 81°F vs 23°F.
- Anchorage gets far more snow: 78 inches a year vs 0.
- Honolulu has more scorching days: 32 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 0.
- Commutes are shorter in Anchorage (19 vs 22 minutes each way).
- Alaska has no state income tax on wages; Hawaii's top rate is 11%.
Side by side
| Anchorage, AK | Honolulu, HI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 287,155 | 341,868 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.4% | -2.6% |
| People per square mile | 168 | 5,639 |
| Median age | 35.2 | 43.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $103,284 | $86,504 |
| Median home value | $395,900 | $843,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 9.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,489 | $1,823 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 105.4 | 111.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 109.9 | 135.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,100 | $83,200 |
| Homeowners | 64% | 49% |
| Top state income tax | None | 11% |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 4.5% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.8 | 21.9 |
| Work from home | 11% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 4.8% |
| Poverty rate | 8.9% | 11.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 23° / 11° | 81° / 67° |
| July high / low | 66° / 53° | 88° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 78 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 0 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 186 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.4 | 98.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 78% | 97% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.5% | +11.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +38.1% | +38.6% |
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. Honolulu: November to May.
Full monthly tables: Anchorage weather by month and Honolulu 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 $83,200 in Honolulu. Moving from Anchorage to Honolulu, you would need about $78,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Anchorage and Honolulu
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 Honolulu.
Which would you pick?
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