Moving to California from Alaska
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Alaska to California — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Alaska to California, you would find that California is 17.4% more expensive than Alaska. A $75,000 salary in Alaska would need to be roughly $81,759 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sacramento averages 74°F vs 49°F in Juneau, making it significantly warmer. How your spending power changes when you relocate from Alaska to California. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $81,759 To maintain the same standard of living in California The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 9.1% less Groceries pay 10.3% less Transportation pay 18.7% more Housing pay 15.0% more Childcare pay 2.2 times more Entertainment and Sports pay 5.1% less Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources. How Alaska and California stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Alaska generally does better on safety, though California leads in violent crime rate. share of people without health insurance share of adults with obesity share of adults with diabetes share of adults who smoke California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in diabetes rate. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Alaska performs better than California across all what about housing? metrics. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Alaska generally does better on infrastructure, though California leads in internet access. percentage of the labour force without work a broad measure of economic output per person typical annual income of a household share of people below the poverty line Alaska generally does better on employment & economy, though California leads in gdp per capita. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree California performs significantly better than Alaska across all family life metrics. Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) Monthly averages — select a city to compare. Avg. annual high / low Avg. annual high / low Data: Day-to-day costs in California run about 9% higher than Alaska on average; specific cities can swing further. A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,440 in California for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. Alaska generally does better on safety, though California leads in violent crime rate. California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in diabetes rate. The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 49°F in Juneau. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Juneau gets 92.2 in. How Far Will Your Money Go?
Key Indicator Comparison
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What's the Climate Like?
Months Juneau Sacramento Jan–Mar 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) Apr–Jun 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) Jul–Sep 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) Oct–Dec 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) View all months
Month Juneau Sacramento Jan 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) Feb 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) Mar 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) Apr 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) May 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) Jun 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) Jul 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) Aug 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) Sep 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) Oct 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) Nov 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) Dec 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
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