Moving to New York from Alaska
What to Expect
Considering a move from Alaska to New York? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Alaska to New York, you would find that New York is 4.1% more expensive than Alaska. A $75,000 salary in Alaska would need to be roughly $78,100 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Alaska and New York.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $78,100
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 19.4% less
Groceries
pay 9.4% less
Transportation
pay 26.6% more
Housing
pay 8.2% more
Childcare
pay 90.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.2% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in New York compared to Alaska.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New York performs significantly better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alaska performs better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alaska performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
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 New York leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New York performs significantly better than Alaska across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Juneau | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Juneau | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than Alaska?
On average New York is around 4% pricier than Alaska, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
Budget about $19,525 for 3 months in New York (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New York safe?
New York performs significantly better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New York compared to Alaska?
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in New York compared to Alaska?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 49°F in Juneau. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Juneau gets 92.2 in.
