landable/cost of living comparison
vs

01 · the cities

San Diego

San Diego is the city most Californians secretly wish they lived in: 70°F, sunny, and a beach for every mood. Fish tacos are religion, Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park and packed with museums, and the craft beer scene is one of the best in the country. The zoo is world-famous and the burritos are aggressively underrated. Even the freeways feel relaxed here.

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

$2,890/mo

$1,713/mo

$1,177/mo less than San Diego (69%)

Median home price

$1.0M

$438k

$572k less than San Diego

State income tax

9.3%

0%

Gross left after rent

$4,668/mo

$6,620/mo

Anchorage has $1,952/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

332 days

93 days

239 fewer than San Diego

Extreme heat days

0 days

0 days

days above 95°F per year

Extreme cold days

0 days

91 days

days below 20°F per year

Anchorage drops below 20°F on 91 more days per year than San Diego.

04 · the life

OutdoorScore

75 / 100

68 / 100

7.0 pts behind San Diego

Walk Score®

99 / 100

79 / 100

20 pts behind San Diego

Nonstop flights

55 routes

34 routes

21 fewer direct routes than San Diego

Metro size

3.3M metro

401k metro

the verdict

4

San Diego

categories won

of 9

4

Anchorage

categories won

San Diego 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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