Overall
Texas feels cheaper overall
Texas has the lower cost-of-living index, beating Alaska by 31.5 points on the overall affordability baseline.
See full data →
Quality of Life
Alaska vs Texas: Cost of Living
Texas is cheaper overall by 31.5 cost-of-living points, but Texas has lower median home values.
National Rankings
Where They Rank Nationally
See where both states fall among all 50 states for cost of living.
Alaska
#46 · 125.8
Texas
#18 · 94.3
Best
Worst
10 Best States — Cost of Living
Lower is better
#1
West Virginia
83.6
West Virginia
#2
Mississippi
85.5
Mississippi
#3
Arkansas
87.6
Arkansas
#4
Kentucky
88.0
Kentucky
#5
Alabama
88.6
Alabama
#6
Oklahoma
88.6
Oklahoma
#7
Missouri
90.0
Missouri
#8
Kansas
90.2
Kansas
#9
Iowa
91.0
Iowa
#10
Ohio
91.0
Ohio
Selected states
#46
Alaska
125.8
Alaska
#18
Texas
94.3
Texas
Alaska ranks 46th and Texas ranks 18th nationally for cost of living.
Overview
Cost of Living in context
A fast-reading view of the tradeoffs behind the raw cost numbers.
Housing
pay about 1.1x more for a home
Texas has the lower median home value, while buying in Alaska costs materially more at the median.
See full data →Rent Pressure
Alaska puts less pressure on a median paycheck
Median rent takes a smaller share of household income in Alaska than in Texas, which makes monthly budgeting easier.
See full data →Taxes
Texas keeps more income after state tax
Texas has the lower top state income tax rate, which softens the total cost picture even when prices are close.
See full data →Cost stack
AlaskaOverall affordability
- Cost of living index
- 125.8
- Regional price parity
- 102.7
- Regular gas price
- $4.619/gal
- Electricity price
- 25.52 c/kWh
Housing
- Median gross rent
- $1,352/mo
- Median home value
- $316,400
- Owner costs w/ mortgage
- $2,253/mo
- Owner costs w/o mortgage
- $698/mo
Taxes
- State income tax
- None (0%)
- State sales tax
- None (0%)
- Property tax
- 1.11%
Income
- Median household income
- $86,533
- Income after median rent
- $5,859
- Minimum wage
- $13.00/hr
Laws
- Gun laws
- Permissive
- Alcohol system
- License State
- Marijuana status
- Legal
TexasOverall affordability
- Cost of living index
- 94.3
- Regional price parity
- 97.2
- Regular gas price
- $3.824/gal
- Electricity price
- 15.69 c/kWh
Housing
- Median gross rent
- $1,232/mo
- Median home value
- $294,400
- Owner costs w/ mortgage
- $2,211/mo
- Owner costs w/o mortgage
- $703/mo
Taxes
- State income tax
- None (0%)
- State sales tax
- 6.25%
- Property tax
- 1.49%
Income
- Median household income
- $66,963
- Income after median rent
- $4,348
- Minimum wage
- $7.25/hr
Laws
- Gun laws
- Permissive
- Alcohol system
- License State
- Marijuana status
- Medical
What stands out
- Texas has lower median home values.
- Texas has the lower overall cost index.
- Alaska has the higher median household income.
- Alaska looks more attainable on home value to income ratio.
Affordability ratios
Home value to income
Alaska: 3.66x
Texas: 4.40x
Rent to income
Alaska: 18.7%
Texas: 22.1%
Owner costs to income
Alaska: 16.8%
Texas: 18.0%
Related pages
What this means
Alaska vs Texas: Cost of Living in context
Texas's cost of living is 94.3, compared with 125.8 in Alaska. Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Alaska
125.8
Texas
94.3
Difference
31.5 points
People also ask
Alaska vs Texas Cost of Living — common questions
QWhat is Alaska's cost of living?
Alaska's cost of living is 125.8.
QWhat is Texas's cost of living?
Texas's cost of living is 94.3.
QWhich state has a lower cost of living — Alaska or Texas?
Texas is cheaper overall by 31.5 cost-of-living points, but Texas has lower median home values.
More comparisons: Alaska vs Texas
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Data source and freshness
Data period
2026 incorporated quarterly release
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
Composite index where 100 equals the national average.