Anchorage vs Hilo
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Hilo edges it, 56 to 55, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Alaska's biggest city, with mountains and moose at the end of the street
Full Anchorage profile →Plan a trip to Anchorage →Rainy, unhurried bay town on the windward side of Hawaii's Big Island
Full Hilo profile →Plan a trip to Hilo →Where they differ
- Climate. Hilo leads on climate, 8 to 0, against Anchorage. Comfortable months: 0 vs 1.
- Getting there & around. Anchorage leads on getting there & around, 13 to 5, against Hilo. Non-stop airport destinations: 54 vs 3.
- Internet. Hilo leads on internet, 79 to 73, against Anchorage. Measured download: 49.8 Mbps vs 76.1 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Anchorage if you want
- no clear edge over Hilo in the data
Pick Hilo if you want
- to spend about $163 less a month
- faster internet (76.1 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 18 | 21 ✓ |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 73 | 79 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 13 ✓ | 5 |
| Climate | 0 | 8 ✓ |
| Air quality | 100 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,163 | $3,000 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 49.8 Mbps | 76.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 11.6 Mbps ✓ | 10.4 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 54 ✓ | 3 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 1 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 5.2 µg/m³ | 3 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Anchorage or Hilo?
- Hilo is cheaper: about $3,000 per month versus $3,163 for one person.
- Is Anchorage or Hilo safer?
- Anchorage and Hilo score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Anchorage or Hilo?
- Hilo: a measured median of 76.1 Mbps versus 49.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); OpenFlights airports and routes; Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.