---
title: "Anchorage vs Hilo for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/anchorage-vs-hilo
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 18 | 21 | Hilo |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Internet | 73 | 79 | Hilo |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 5 | Anchorage |
| Climate | 0 | 8 | Hilo |
| Air quality | 100 | 100 | Hilo |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,163 | $3,000 | Hilo |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 49.8 Mbps | 76.1 Mbps | Hilo |
| Upload | 11.6 Mbps | 10.4 Mbps | Anchorage |

## Visa

| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 54 | 3 | Anchorage |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Anchorage | Hilo | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 1 | Hilo |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 5.2 µg/m³ | 3 µg/m³ | Hilo |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Anchorage](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/anchorage) · [Hilo](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/hilo). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/anchorage-vs-hilo