Photo: James Brooks · CC BY 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Kodiak costs more to live in than 80% of U.S. towns
It ranks #39 of 41 in Alaska for affordability. Up 3.9% in a year, 12% above the Alaska typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Kodiak Island Borough, AK ($86K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Kodiak’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($86K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 37% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 31% of renters.
In dollars
- $446Ktypical home, 12% above the Alaska typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,090a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$86K, Kodiak Island Borough income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 31%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Alaska: 45%Census 2020–24
- 37%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Kodiak, in brief
Rent is easier on renters here
31% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 45% across Alaska. A standard two-bedroom is 28% of the median household income. Renting ↓
About half of Kodiak rents
50% of households rent their home, 927 in all, against 33% across Alaska. Renting ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Kodiak lost 549 residents while 246 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Kodiak’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kodiak is more affordable than 20% of U.S. towns, #39 of 41 in Alaska. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged Alaska: the typical Kodiak home is up 11.1% in five years, against 16.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 11.1% in five years
Slower than Alaska (16.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Kodiak | Alaska |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $298,000 | $284,000 |
| 2018 | $308,000 | $288,000 |
| 2019 | $331,000 | $291,000 |
| 2020 | $360,000 | $316,000 |
| 2021 | $376,000 | $324,000 |
| 2022 | $412,000 | $348,000 |
| 2023 | $425,000 | $358,000 |
| 2024 | $386,000 | $361,000 |
| 2025 | $410,000 | $372,000 |
| 2026 | $439,000 | $386,000 |
| September 2026 | $446,000 | $398,000 |
A typical Kodiak home worth $294K in October 2016 is worth about $446K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Kodiak’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $112K short of a typical Kodiak home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,090 a month here, $590 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Kodiak’s typical property tax (0.91% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,090
Renters already here pay a median of $1,571, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Kodiak Island Borough, AK): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
9 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 9 new homes in Kodiak in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $3.9 million to build. That's 1.7 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Alaska as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Kodiak has permitted 224 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Kodiak's population fell by 549 even though 246 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Alaska: 1.8 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 3 | 3 | 0 | $562,000 |
| 2025 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $3.9 million |
| 2024 | 19 | 11 | 8 | $5.7 million |
| 2023 | 12 | 10 | 2 | $7.2 million |
| 2022 | 11 | 9 | 2 | $4.9 million |
| 2021 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2020 | 19 | 8 | 11 | $3.7 million |
| 2019 | 30 | 10 | 20 | $8.4 million |
| 2018 | 50 | 10 | 40 | $10.7 million |
| 2017 | 48 | 12 | 36 | $10.1 million |
| 2016 | 18 | 12 | 6 | $3.7 million |
| 2015 | 22 | 19 | 3 | $3.7 million |
| 2014 | 12 | 10 | 2 | $2.3 million |
| 2013 | 17 | 13 | 4 | $3.1 million |
| 2012 | 19 | 10 | 9 | $3.2 million |
| 2011 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2010 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2009 | 19 | 17 | 2 | $4.3 million |
| 2008 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2007 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $5.4 million |
| 2006 | 36 | 30 | 6 | $6.8 million |
| 2005 | 60 | 38 | 22 | $9.8 million |
| 2004 | 74 | 52 | 22 | $12 million |
| 2003 | 72 | 48 | 24 | $10.2 million |
| 2002 | 62 | 40 | 22 | $8.7 million |
| 2001 | 46 | 38 | 8 | $6.5 million |
| 2000 | 54 | 46 | 8 | $7.2 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Alaska norm
The median bill is $3,164 (Alaska: $3,901), 0.91% of a home’s value a year, against 1.11% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Kodiak vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Kodiak has the lowest. Mill Bay has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
Questions about the cost of living in Kodiak
Is Kodiak expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kodiak costs more than 80% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #39 of 41 in Alaska. The typical home costs 4.0 years of the median household income of Kodiak Island Borough, AK ($86K).
How much does a house cost in Kodiak?
About $446K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.9% in a year. The Alaska typical home is $398K.
What salary do you need to live in Kodiak?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $115,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,680 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $84,000.
How much is rent in Kodiak?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,090 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,571 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Kodiak?
The median bill is $3,164 a year, 0.91% of the median home value (Alaska: $3,901, 1.11%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Kodiak going up?
Yes: up 3.9% in the past year and 11.1% in five years, against 16.7% across Alaska (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Kodiak buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.