Anchorage vs Tacoma
The short version
- Anchorage is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Tacoma area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $395,900 in Anchorage and $479,600 in Tacoma.
- Households earn more in Anchorage ($103,284 vs $85,884 median).
- Tacoma has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 23°F.
- Anchorage gets far more snow: 78 inches a year vs 6.
- Tacoma is growing faster: +4.6% since 2020 vs -1.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Anchorage (19 vs 29 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Anchorage, AK | Tacoma, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 287,155 | 229,816 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.4% | +4.6% |
| People per square mile | 168 | 4,622 |
| Median age | 35.2 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $103,284 | $85,884 |
| Median home value | $395,900 | $479,600 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,489 | $1,676 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 105.4 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 109.9 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,100 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 64% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 1.82% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.8 | 28.8 |
| Work from home | 11% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 8.9% | 12.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 23° / 11° | 48° / 38° |
| July high / low | 66° / 53° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 78 in | 6 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 0 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 186 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.4 | 98.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 78% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.5% | +1.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +38.1% | +28.5% |
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. Tacoma: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Anchorage weather by month and Tacoma 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 $83,300 in Tacoma. Moving from Anchorage to Tacoma, you would need about $79,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Anchorage and Tacoma
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 Tacoma.
Which would you pick?
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