USLivingCost Salaries · Rent · Cost of Living

Anchorage, AK vs. Portland, OR

Median rent is $1,453 a month in Anchorage, AK and $1,596 in Portland, OR. Household income is $98,152 against $88,792. Both cities are read from the same ACS 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates and the same BEA Regional Price Parities 2023, so the two columns below are directly comparable.

$
Same standard of living
A salary of $100,000 in Anchorage, AK buys what $101,978 buys in Portland, OR
+$1,978 more to keep the same standard of living
Median gross rent Monthly
$1,453 $1,596 +9.8%
Median household income Annual
$98,152 $88,792 -9.5%
Median home value Owner-occupied
$375,900 $557,600 +48.3%
Rent as share of income Annual rent ÷ income
17.8% 21.6% 3.8 pp
Price level U.S. average = 100
104.5 106.6 +2.0%
Salary needed for median rent Keeps rent at 30% of gross
$58,100 $63,800 +9.8%
Rent median income carries at 30% Affordable rent
$2,454 $2,220 -9.5%
Population City proper
289,069 642,715 +122.3%
Equivalent salary For $100,000 in Anchorage
$100,000 $101,978 +2.0%

A green or red badge means the second city is higher or lower, not better or worse: a lower rent is good for a tenant, a lower household income is not. For the price level and
the share of income the raw values are shown, because a percentage difference between two
percentages is easy to misread.

What the gap means

Lower rent
$1,453
Anchorage, AK · 9.8% below Portland, OR
Higher household income
$98,152
Anchorage, AK · 10.5% above Portland, OR
Same standard of living
$101,978
$100,000 in Anchorage, AK needs $101,978 in Portland, OR
Price level gap
2.1 points
104.5 in AK against 106.6 in OR
Rent burden gap
3.8 points
Anchorage, AK versus Portland, OR, share of income taken by rent
Highest buying power
95.7%
Anchorage, AK · share of the national average income that a dollar there buys

Occupation wages in both metros

May 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Metropolitan areas may differ from city boundaries.

Occupation Anchorage, AK median Portland, OR median vs.
Fast Food and Counter Workers $33,280 $35,620 +7.0%
Retail Salespersons $37,520 $37,340 -0.5%
Registered Nurses $115,290 $130,310 +13.0%
General and Operations Managers $120,030 $121,050 +0.8%
Software Developers $104,030 $156,000 +50.0%
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $40,510 $41,170 +1.6%
Waiters and Waitresses $26,080 $54,780 +110.0%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $66,190 $63,800 -3.6%

Metropolitan areas and cover every industry together, so the two columns may describe wider areas than the city limits used for rent and income.

More comparisons with Anchorage, AK

More comparisons with Portland, OR

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Definitions used on this page

Salary needed for the median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent divided by 0.30: the income that keeps the median rent at 30% of gross pay.
Price level
BEA regional price parity for the metro area where one is published, otherwise for the state. The national average is 100.
Same standard of living
A salary in Anchorage, AK converted into Portland, OR at the ratio of the two price levels. It adjusts for prices only, not for taxes or for what either city offers.
Buying power
One hundred divided by the price level: what a dollar buys locally relative to the national average.

Sources

Margins of error are published for every Census figure. Read the methodology before reading a small gap between two cities as a real difference.

Full detail for each city: Anchorage, AK · Portland, OR