Moving to Alaska from Utah
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Utah to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Utah to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 23.0% more expensive than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $88,576 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Juneau averages 49°F vs 64°F in Salt Lake City, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Utah to Alaska.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $88,576
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 36.0% more
Groceries
pay 40.6% more
Transportation
pay 0.9% less
Housing
pay 34.7% more
Childcare
pay 8.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 49.1% 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 Utah 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
Utah 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
Utah 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
Alaska generally does better on what about housing?, though Utah leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah generally does better on infrastructure, though Alaska leads in average commute.
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
Utah generally does better on employment & economy, though Alaska leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Utah performs better than Alaska 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 | Salt Lake City | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Utah?
Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 18% higher than Utah 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 $22,144 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
Utah performs better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Utah?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Juneau is 49°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Juneau receives around 92.2 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
