Cost of living in Ketchikan 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 Ketchikan 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 Ketchikan is 127, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Ketchikan is 1.3x higher than the national average.
Ketchikan ranks as the #10 cheapest in Alaska out of 22.
Ketchikan ranks as the #4,833 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Ketchikan is $393,735.
The median income in Ketchikan is $76,835.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Ketchikan has an overall cost of living index of 127, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Alaska, Ketchikan has a cost of living index that's 1.0x lower than Alaska's index of 131.
The standard of living in Ketchikan ranks as #10 most affordable out of the 22 places we measured in Alaska. By definition, that implies Ketchikan ranks as the #12 most expensive place in the Last Frontier.
For more reading on life in Ketchikan, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Ketchikan. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Ketchikan is 124.
The Groceries index in Ketchikan is 123.
The Health index in Ketchikan is 152.
The Housing index in Ketchikan is 134.
The Transportation index in Ketchikan is 126.
The Utilities index in Ketchikan is 141.
| Living Expense | Ketchikan | Alaska | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 127 | 131 | 100 | |
| Services | 124 | 120 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 123 | 123 | 100 | |
| Health | 152 | 150 | 100 | |
| Housing | 134 | 136 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 126 | 116 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 141 | 158 | 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 2019-2023. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Ketchikan is $393,735.
The Median Rent in Ketchikan is $1,319.
The Median Income in Ketchikan is $76,835.
The Home Value To Income in Ketchikan is 5.1x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Ketchikan is 0.21x.