Moving to Alaska from Texas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Texas to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Texas to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 18.6% more expensive than Texas. A $75,000 salary in Texas would need to be roughly $89,533 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Juneau averages 49°F vs 79°F in Austin, making it significantly cooler. How your spending power changes when you relocate from Texas to Alaska. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $89,533 To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 26.4% more Groceries pay 41.3% more Transportation pay 2.2% more Housing pay 28.9% more Childcare pay 25.8% less Entertainment and Sports pay 48.5% 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. How Texas and Alaska stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Texas generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate. 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 Texas leads in adult smoking rate. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Texas generally does better on what about housing?, though Alaska leads in homeownership rate. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Alaska performs significantly better than Texas across all infrastructure metrics. 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 Texas leads in unemployment rate. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree Alaska performs significantly better than Texas 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) Monthly averages — select a city to compare. Avg. annual high / low Avg. annual high / low Data: Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 19% higher than Texas on average; specific cities can swing further. A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $22,383 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. Texas generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate. Alaska generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult smoking rate. The average high temperature in Juneau is 49°F, compared to 79°F in Austin. Juneau receives around 92.2 in of rainfall per year, while Austin gets 36.2 in. How Far Will Your Money Go?
Key Indicator Comparison
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What's the Climate Like?
Months Austin Juneau Jan–Mar 65°/40°F (18°/5°C) 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) Apr–Jun 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) Jul–Sep 93°/70°F (34°/21°C) 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) Oct–Dec 71°/47°F (22°/8°C) 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) View all months
Month Austin Juneau Jan 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C) 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) Feb 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C) 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) Mar 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C) 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) Apr 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C) 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) May 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C) 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) Jun 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C) 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) Jul 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C) 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) Aug 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C) 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) Sep 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C) 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) Oct 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C) 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) Nov 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C) 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) Dec 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C) 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
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