Moving to Alaska from United States
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United States to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United States to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 9.9% more expensive than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly $68,800 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Juneau averages 49°F vs 66°F in Washington, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from United States to Alaska.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 23.0% more
Groceries
pay 24.3% more
Transportation
pay 4.2% less
Housing
pay 22.5% more
Childcare
pay 36.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 30.5% 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 United States and Alaska stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Alaska performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
United States performs better than Alaska across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Alaska generally does better on employment & economy, though United States leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States performs better than Alaska across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than United States?
Generally yes: Alaska runs about 8% cheaper than United States on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
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 $17,200 in Alaska for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Alaska?
Working remotely from Alaska's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in United States and Alaska.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to United States?
Alaska performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Juneau is 49°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Juneau receives around 92.2 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in Alaska?
Both United States and Alaska share the same official language: English.
