Moving to Alaska from Missouri
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Missouri to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Missouri to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 27.1% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $96,773 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Juneau averages 49°F vs 66°F in Columbia, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Missouri to Alaska.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $96,773
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 37.5% more
Groceries
pay 35.7% more
Transportation
pay 1.5% more
Housing
pay 48.9% more
Childcare
pay 16.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 67.5% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Missouri 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
Missouri 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
Alaska generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Missouri generally does better on family life, though Alaska leads in life expectancy.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Columbia | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) | 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) | 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbia | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) | 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) | 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) | 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) |
| May | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) | 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) |
| Jun | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) | 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) | 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) | 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) |
| Sep | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) | 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) |
| Oct | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) |
| Nov | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) | 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Missouri?
Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 29% higher than Missouri 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 $24,193 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
Missouri generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Missouri?
Alaska generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Missouri?
The average high temperature in Juneau is 49°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Juneau receives around 92.2 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.
