Moving to Alaska from Canada
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Canada to Alaska — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Canada to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 32.0% more expensive than Canada overall. A CA$106,234 salary in Canada would need to be roughly $85,352 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Canada to Alaska.
What does your salary buy?
CA$106,234 → $85,352
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 45.0% more
Groceries
pay 45.7% more
Transportation
pay 1.6% less
Housing
pay 54.0% more
Childcare
pay 22.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 47.0% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Canada to Alaska, based on official data.
people moved from Canada to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
13.793,897
Canada
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Canada to Alaska.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Canada performs better than Alaska across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Canada performs better than Alaska across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Alaska generally does better on employment & economy, though Canada leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Canada performs better than Alaska across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Ottawa | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/10°F (-3°/-12°C) | 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/45°F (18°/7°C) | 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 41°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Ottawa | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/4°F (-6.1°/-15.3°C) | 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) |
| Feb | 25°/8°F (-4.1°/-13.3°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 36°/19°F (2.2°/-7.1°C) | 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.6°C) | 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) |
| May | 66°/46°F (19.1°/7.7°C) | 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) |
| Jun | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.7°C) | 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) |
| Jul | 80°/60°F (26.5°/15.4°C) | 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) |
| Aug | 77°/57°F (24.9°/14.1°C) | 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) |
| Sep | 67°/48°F (19.5°/9.1°C) | 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) |
| Oct | 54°/37°F (12.5°/3.0°C) | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) |
| Nov | 41°/27°F (4.8°/-2.8°C) | 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.1°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Service of Canada,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Canada and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Canada passport holder visiting United States
Visa Free
United States passport holder visiting Canada
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Canada?
No — Alaska is on average about 14% more expensive than Canada. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Alaska?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,338 in Alaska on a CA$106,234 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Alaska?
Usually fine from major cities in Alaska. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Canada?
Canada performs better than Alaska across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Canada?
The average high temperature in Juneau is 49°F, compared to 52°F in Ottawa. Juneau receives around 92.2 in of rainfall per year, while Ottawa gets 37.1 in.
What language do they speak in Alaska?
The official language in Alaska is English. In Canada, the official languages are English and French.
