Cost of living in Bethel research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Bethel is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Alaska, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Bethel is 131, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Bethel is 1.3x higher than the national average.
Bethel ranks as the #15 cheapest in Alaska out of 22.
Bethel ranks as the #5,294 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Bethel is $309,900.
The median income in Bethel is $100,168.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Bethel has an overall cost of living index of 131, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Alaska, Bethel has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Alaska's index of 125.
The standard of living in Bethel ranks as #15 most affordable out of the 22 places we measured in Alaska. By definition, that implies Bethel ranks as the #7 most expensive place in the Last Frontier.
For more reading on life in Bethel, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Bethel. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Bethel is 115.
The Groceries index in Bethel is 147.
The Health index in Bethel is 141.
The Housing index in Bethel is 141.
The Transportation index in Bethel is 133.
The Utilities index in Bethel is 121.
Living Expense | Bethel | Alaska | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 131 | 125 | 100 | |
Services | 115 | 119 | 100 | |
Groceries | 147 | 129 | 100 | |
Health | 141 | 152 | 100 | |
Housing | 141 | 119 | 100 | |
Transportation | 133 | 119 | 100 | |
Utilities | 121 | 147 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Alaska, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Bethel is $309,900.
The Median Rent in Bethel is $1,572.
The Median Income in Bethel is $100,168.
The Home Value To Income in Bethel is 3.1x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Bethel is 0.19x.
Statistic | Bethel | Alaska | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $309,900 | $282,800 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,572 | $1,279 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $100,168 | $80,287 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.1x | 3.5x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.19x | 0.19x | 0.2x |