Moving to Alaska from Kansas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kansas to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kansas to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 31.0% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $98,200 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Anchorage averages 45°F vs 68°F in Wichita, making it significantly cooler. Wichita and Anchorage are about 2,750 mi apart.
Is Alaska cheaper than Kansas?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 48.7% more
Groceries
pay 22.8% more
Transportation
pay 7.7% more
Housing
pay 50.1% more
Childcare
pay 4.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 33.3% 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 → $98,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How Kansas 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
Kansas generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate.
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
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kansas performs better than Alaska across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alaska performs significantly better than Kansas 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 Kansas leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Kansas generally does better on family life, though Alaska leads in life expectancy.
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 Kansas
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Wichita | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 49°/28°F (10°/-2°C) | 28°/13°F (-2°/-11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) | 56°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/66°F (32°/19°C) | 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 31°/18°F (0°/-7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Wichita | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/22°F (5.8°/-5.6°C) | 23°/9°F (-5.1°/-12.9°C) |
| Feb | 48°/26°F (9.0°/-3.3°C) | 27°/11°F (-2.6°/-11.7°C) |
| Mar | 58°/35°F (14.4°/1.7°C) | 35°/18°F (1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Apr | 68°/44°F (19.8°/6.9°C) | 46°/30°F (8.0°/-1.3°C) |
| May | 77°/55°F (24.8°/12.9°C) | 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) |
| Jun | 87°/65°F (30.4°/18.3°C) | 65°/49°F (18.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 92°/70°F (33.5°/21.0°C) | 68°/53°F (20.0°/11.9°C) |
| Aug | 91°/69°F (32.9°/20.4°C) | 65°/51°F (18.1°/10.4°C) |
| Sep | 83°/60°F (28.1°/15.3°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.7°C) |
| Oct | 70°/47°F (20.9°/8.3°C) | 41°/29°F (5.2°/-1.6°C) |
| Nov | 56°/35°F (13.4°/1.4°C) | 28°/15°F (-2.4°/-9.2°C) |
| Dec | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.4°C) | 24°/11°F (-4.2°/-11.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Kansas?
Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 31% higher than Kansas on average; specific cities can swing further.
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 $24,550 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
Kansas generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Kansas?
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Anchorage is 45°F, compared to 68°F in Wichita. Anchorage receives around 17.9 in of rainfall per year, while Wichita gets 32.6 in.
