Cost of living in College 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 College 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 College is 133, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in College is 1.3x higher than the national average.
College ranks as the #18 cheapest in Alaska out of 22.
College ranks as the #5,359 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in College is $256,900.
The median income in College is $70,319.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, College has an overall cost of living index of 133, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Alaska, College has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than Alaska's index of 125.
The standard of living in College ranks as #18 most affordable out of the 22 places we measured in Alaska. By definition, that implies College ranks as the #4 most expensive place in the Last Frontier.
For more reading on life in College, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in College. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in College is 119.
The Groceries index in College is 119.
The Health index in College is 155.
The Housing index in College is 125.
The Transportation index in College is 121.
The Utilities index in College is 216.
Living Expense | College | Alaska | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 133 | 125 | 100 | |
Services | 119 | 119 | 100 | |
Groceries | 119 | 129 | 100 | |
Health | 155 | 152 | 100 | |
Housing | 125 | 119 | 100 | |
Transportation | 121 | 119 | 100 | |
Utilities | 216 | 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 College is $256,900.
The Median Rent in College is $1,250.
The Median Income in College is $70,319.
The Home Value To Income in College is 3.7x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in College is 0.21x.
Statistic | College | Alaska | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $256,900 | $282,800 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,250 | $1,279 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $70,319 | $80,287 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.7x | 3.5x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.21x | 0.19x | 0.2x |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around College. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Fairbanks, AK has a cost of living index of 132, 1.0x College.
Badger, AK has a cost of living index of 133, 1.0x College.
Steele Creek, AK has a cost of living index of 135, 1.0x College.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. College |
---|---|---|---|
Fairbanks, AK | 33,018 | 132 | 1.0x |
Badger, AK | 19,226 | 133 | 1.0x |
Steele Creek, AK | 7,399 | 135 | 1.0x |
Chena Ridge, AK | 5,643 | 134 | 1.0x |