Moving to Alaska from South Carolina
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Carolina to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Carolina to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 18.8% more expensive than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $83,164 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 South Carolina to Alaska.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $83,164
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 20.9% more
Groceries
pay 21.5% more
Transportation
pay 10.7% more
Housing
pay 28.2% more
Childcare
pay 30.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 65.0% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How South Carolina 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
South Carolina 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
South Carolina 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
South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina across all family life metrics.
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 South Carolina?
Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 11% higher than South Carolina 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 $20,791 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
South Carolina generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to South Carolina?
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to South Carolina?
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.
