Wondering "is Alaska expensive?" Well, you've come to the right place! Living in Alaska is definitely a sacrifice; you have to brave the storm, be thousands of miles away from the rest of your family, and get used to doing things like paying 5 times as much for a grocery item than you did in the Lower 48 - food prices in Alaska are... extreme. The cost of living up here is not cheap. However, for those of us that live here and absolutely love it, it's totally worth it. We'd rather pay the outrageous prices in Alaska for these things than live anywhere else in the U.S., and being surrounded by like-minded people rather than being stuck in a concrete jungle is always preferable to us! Check out these 10 common things that are way more expensive in the last frontier than anywhere else in the US.
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Grocery stores in Alaska are often times called 'General Stores' because they have an assortment of grocery, hardware and lifestyle items inside. They will lure you in with their cozy log-cabin style building with charming Alaskan adornments on the outside. That and, well - they very well might be the only place in town to shop. However, we will warn you now - make sure that you're prepared for the sticker shock one you get inside. Living in Alaska isn’t cheap, that’s for sure.
1. Milk
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Food prices in Alaska are particularly high. At that price, you'd be one step closer to figuring out how you can get a cow or two shipped to the bush. Many people don’t realize how expensive it is in to live in Alaska!
2. Olive Oil
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$45.15 in Kotzebue and only $23.00 at Costco in Anchorage. Living off the grid away from the crowds certainly does not come cheap, folks! And on that same note, we should really think about getting into the shipping industry!
3. Frozen Pizza
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About 5x the cost of anywhere else, be prepared to pay top dollar for the aroma of an Italian delight. Good taste and authenticity is never guaranteed.
4. Subway
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Love those $5 dollar footlong commercials that you see on TV? Well guess what; they're just fictional when you live in Alaska. Be sure to look for those "does not apply to residents living in AK or HI" at the end of the commercial in size 8 font. BOO! That’s the cost of living in Alaska. Even the advertising has to be different!
5. Or, all fast food in general.
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Twice as much as the lower 48? Awesome! Worth it to live in Alaska though. For sure! Our lifestyle can’t be replicated anywhere else, so at least we have that going for us.
6. Water
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Just one of those mere items that you literally NEED to survive. You guessed it, no discounts here! That snow is looking pretty quenching right about now...
7. Ice Cream
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They say that Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than anywhere else in the USA. With these crazy prices - around $8 a pint - we can't help but to scratch our heads in confusion. That is just insane! Although the price isn’t stopping me from buying.
8. Orange Juice
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Kind of like the thought we had about bringing in a cow, what do you think our chances might be of growing a tropical orange tree in the middle of rural Alaska? Probably not very likely, unfortunately. Well... it looks like we will just have to get used to paying these prices to get our daily dose of Vitamin C. Ouch!
9. Jam and Jelly
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The best part about this crazy price is that we can actually avoid paying it if we just go outside and collect our own delicious wild Alaska berries. Salmonberry or Gooseberry jam sounds a lot better than that pre-packaged stuff from who knows where. If only we didn't have to worry about the price of sugar next...
10. Gas
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In general, we think that just about anyone and everyone living in a rural part of Alaska can agree that gasoline is incredibly expensive. Playing hard on the ATVs or going out deep on the saltwater or up the river is always a blast, but it doesn't come cheap. These prices here are in King Salmon. Just in case you aren't in the mood to do the quick math in your head, that is basically $5.83 per gallon. Holy smokes! And it only climbs higher as the years pass. What do you think next year’s gallon price will be?
Have you had to buy any of these things that are more expensive in Alaska than anywhere else in the United States? Did the price shock you? Let us know in the comments below!
Aside from the really high food prices in Alaska - along with the high cost of everything else - living in Alaska is definitely better than anywhere else in the U.S. Rural Alaska, in particular, is special for so many reasons including the limited crowd sizes and the vast array of outdoor activities. If you don't already agree, be sure to check out these 20 photos that prove rural Alaska is the best place to live and get ready to leave the city life behind.
And if you're now itching to visit Alaska but are scared of the sticker price, staying in a hostel will bring down the cost of your trip significantly! Take a look at Hostelworld.com to find the perfect place to stay in Alaska on a budget. In terms of affordability, Fairbanks is one of the least expensive places in Alaska.
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