Moving to Alaska from Hawaii
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Hawaii to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Hawaii to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 22.8% cheaper than Hawaii. A $75,000 salary in Hawaii would need to be roughly $57,900 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Anchorage averages 45°F vs 84°F in Honolulu, making it significantly cooler. Honolulu and Anchorage are about 2,800 mi apart.
Is Alaska cheaper than Hawaii?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 5.6% less
Groceries
pay 36.8% less
Transportation
pay 23.6% less
Housing
pay 24.4% less
Childcare
pay 38.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.4% 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.
What salary do you need in Alaska?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $57,900
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How Hawaii and Alaska stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Hawaii performs 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
Hawaii 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 significantly better than Hawaii across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Hawaii generally does better on infrastructure, though Alaska leads in average commute.
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
Hawaii generally does better on employment & economy, though Alaska leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Hawaii performs 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
Weather in Alaska vs Hawaii
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Honolulu | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 80°/67°F (27°/19°C) | 28°/13°F (-2°/-11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 85°/71°F (29°/22°C) | 56°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/74°F (31°/24°C) | 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/71°F (29°/22°C) | 31°/18°F (0°/-7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Honolulu | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C) | 23°/9°F (-5.1°/-12.9°C) |
| Feb | 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C) | 27°/11°F (-2.6°/-11.7°C) |
| Mar | 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C) | 35°/18°F (1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Apr | 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C) | 46°/30°F (8.0°/-1.3°C) |
| May | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C) | 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) |
| Jun | 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C) | 65°/49°F (18.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C) | 68°/53°F (20.0°/11.9°C) |
| Aug | 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C) | 65°/51°F (18.1°/10.4°C) |
| Sep | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.7°C) |
| Oct | 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C) | 41°/29°F (5.2°/-1.6°C) |
| Nov | 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C) | 28°/15°F (-2.4°/-9.2°C) |
| Dec | 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C) | 24°/11°F (-4.2°/-11.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Hawaii?
Generally yes: Alaska runs about 23% cheaper than Hawaii on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Alaska?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $14,475 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
Hawaii performs better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Hawaii?
Hawaii generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Hawaii?
The average high temperature in Anchorage is 45°F, compared to 84°F in Honolulu. Anchorage receives around 17.9 in of rainfall per year, while Honolulu gets 17.1 in.
