landable/cost of living comparison
vs

01 · the cities

Boston

Boston is brick sidewalks, dive bars older than most states, and an accent that turns 'park the car' into a love language. The city is densely packed with colleges (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, plus 30 more), which keeps it perpetually 22 years old in spirit. The Freedom Trail literally paints a red line through 400 years of American history. Dunkin' is not a chain here, it's a way of life.

full dispatch

Anchorage

Anchorage is the city where moose sometimes wander into downtown, the Chugach Mountains tower right behind your office, and summer days run 19 hours long. The Iditarod sled-dog race kicks off from here every March. The food scene leans heavily on the world-class salmon and halibut coming off the boats. Winter brings the northern lights flickering above the mountains and the kind of quiet you only find this far north. Wild edge.

full dispatch

02 · the money

Median rent

$3,145/mo

$1,713/mo

$1,432/mo less than Boston (84%)

Median home price

$771k

$438k

$332k less than Boston

State income tax

5.0%

0%

Gross left after rent

$4,772/mo

$6,620/mo

Anchorage has $1,848/mo more gross after rent at $100k

Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.

03 · the weather

Pleasant days/yr

160 days

93 days

67 fewer than Boston

Extreme heat days

2 days

0 days

days above 95°F per year

Extreme cold days

33 days

91 days

days below 20°F per year

Anchorage drops below 20°F on 58 more days per year than Boston.

04 · the life

OutdoorScore

71 / 100

68 / 100

3.0 pts behind Boston

Walk Score®

98 / 100

79 / 100

19 pts behind Boston

Nonstop flights

103 routes

34 routes

69 fewer direct routes than Boston

Metro size

4.9M metro

401k metro

the verdict

4

Boston

categories won

of 9

4

Anchorage

categories won

Boston wins on weather and lifestyle, Anchorage wins on money. Dead even.

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We use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.

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