Moving to Alaska from Wisconsin
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Wisconsin to Alaska — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Wisconsin to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 17.7% more expensive than Wisconsin. A $75,000 salary in Wisconsin would need to be roughly $89,584 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Wisconsin to Alaska.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $89,584
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 32.0% more
Groceries
pay 37.4% more
Transportation
pay 5.0% more
Housing
pay 46.0% more
Childcare
pay 49.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 42.1% 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
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Wisconsin to Alaska.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Wisconsin 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 | Madison | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 33°/17°F (1°/-8°C) | 38°/28°F (3°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/46°F (20°/8°C) | 56°/42°F (13°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 61°/49°F (16°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 44°/28°F (7°/-2°C) | 42°/33°F (5°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madison | Juneau |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26°/11°F (-3.1°/-11.6°C) | 35°/26°F (1.4°/-3.2°C) |
| Feb | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.4°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-4.0°C) | 41°/30°F (4.9°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) | 49°/35°F (9.5°/1.8°C) |
| May | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) | 57°/42°F (13.8°/5.7°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.4°C) | 62°/48°F (16.9°/9.1°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) | 63°/51°F (17.4°/10.8°C) |
| Aug | 79°/59°F (26.3°/15.0°C) | 63°/50°F (17.0°/10.1°C) |
| Sep | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.1°C) | 57°/46°F (13.7°/7.7°C) |
| Oct | 59°/39°F (14.9°/3.8°C) | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.9°C) |
| Nov | 44°/28°F (6.7°/-2.1°C) | 40°/31°F (4.3°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 30°/16°F (-1.0°/-8.9°C) | 37°/28°F (2.6°/-2.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Wisconsin?
No — Alaska is on average about 19% more expensive than Wisconsin. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Alaska?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $22,396 in Alaska on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Alaska safe?
Wisconsin performs better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Wisconsin?
Wisconsin generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Wisconsin?
The average high temperature in Juneau is 49°F, compared to 56°F in Madison. Juneau receives around 92.2 in of rainfall per year, while Madison gets 34.5 in.
