Research & Reports
Cost of Living Index Report 2018
The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation collects cost of living data for Anchorage measuring the relative price of consumer goods and services. The Cost of Living Index (COLI) is measured nationally in 270 areas around the country; the average for all areas equals 100.
Anchorage’s overall index in 2018 was 128.9, or 128.9 percent of the national average. Another way of looking at it would be to say that the cost of living in Anchorage is 28.9 percent higher than the average American city.
Each participant area’s index is a percentage of the weighted average for all prices. This index does not measure the change of prices over time (inflation), but rather the relative cost of living compared to the national average.