Moving to Alaska from Mississippi
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Mississippi to Alaska — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Mississippi to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 35.1% more expensive than Mississippi. A $75,000 salary in Mississippi would need to be roughly $101,000 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Anchorage averages 45°F vs 76°F in Jackson, making it significantly cooler. Jackson and Anchorage are about 3,300 mi apart.
Is Alaska cheaper than Mississippi?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 50.1% more
Groceries
pay 41.7% more
Transportation
pay 9.8% less
Housing
pay 59.2% more
Childcare
pay 0.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 64.6% 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 → $101,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Mississippi to Alaska.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Mississippi 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
Alaska performs significantly better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Alaska performs significantly better than Mississippi 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 Mississippi
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jackson | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 62°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 28°/13°F (-2°/-11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 83°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 56°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/70°F (32°/21°C) | 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/46°F (20°/8°C) | 31°/18°F (0°/-7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jackson | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C) | 23°/9°F (-5.1°/-12.9°C) |
| Feb | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 27°/11°F (-2.6°/-11.7°C) |
| Mar | 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C) | 35°/18°F (1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Apr | 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C) | 46°/30°F (8.0°/-1.3°C) |
| May | 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C) | 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) |
| Jun | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) | 65°/49°F (18.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C) | 68°/53°F (20.0°/11.9°C) |
| Aug | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C) | 65°/51°F (18.1°/10.4°C) |
| Sep | 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.7°C) |
| Oct | 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C) | 41°/29°F (5.2°/-1.6°C) |
| Nov | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) | 28°/15°F (-2.4°/-9.2°C) |
| Dec | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) | 24°/11°F (-4.2°/-11.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Mississippi?
No — Alaska is on average about 35% more expensive than Mississippi. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Alaska?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $25,250 in Alaska on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Alaska safe?
Mississippi performs better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Mississippi?
Alaska performs significantly better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Mississippi?
The average high temperature in Anchorage is 45°F, compared to 76°F in Jackson. Anchorage receives around 17.9 in of rainfall per year, while Jackson gets 54.3 in.
