Moving to Alaska from West Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from West Virginia to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from West Virginia to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 32.5% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $99,300 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Anchorage averages 45°F vs 73°F in Charleston, making it significantly cooler. Charleston and Anchorage are about 3,250 mi apart.
Is Alaska cheaper than West Virginia?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 50.5% more
Groceries
pay 27.0% more
Transportation
pay 2.5% less
Housing
pay 55.6% more
Childcare
pay 18.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 57.2% 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.
What salary do you need in Alaska?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $99,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How West Virginia 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
West Virginia 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
Alaska generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Alaska vs West Virginia
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 28°/13°F (-2°/-11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 56°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 31°/18°F (0°/-7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 23°/9°F (-5.1°/-12.9°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 27°/11°F (-2.6°/-11.7°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 35°/18°F (1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 46°/30°F (8.0°/-1.3°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 65°/49°F (18.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 68°/53°F (20.0°/11.9°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 65°/51°F (18.1°/10.4°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.7°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 41°/29°F (5.2°/-1.6°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 28°/15°F (-2.4°/-9.2°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 24°/11°F (-4.2°/-11.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than West Virginia?
Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 32% higher than West Virginia 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 $24,825 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
West Virginia performs better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to West Virginia?
Alaska generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Anchorage is 45°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Anchorage receives around 17.9 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
