A:
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It's not cheap to live in Alaska, although there
are many metro areas elsewhere in the United States where the cost of living is
just as high. The 1990s arrival of discount and chain stores such as Wal-Mart,
Costco and Barnes & Noble brought Alaska's consumer prices closer to those found
in the Lower 48.
HOUSING
Housing expense remains high. Balancing out
some of the higher expenses, income in Alaska is above the national average.
Juneau and Anchorage have Alaska's most
expensive average home price, $241,000. Juneau also tops the state in rent costs
for a three-bedroom single-family house and a two-bedroom apartment.
In the table below, Anchorage includes
Girdwood, Eagle River, Chugiak and Birchwood. Fairbanks includes North Pole.
Kenai Peninsula includes the city of Kenai, Homer, Seward and other towns.
Mat-Su includes Palmer, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Big Lake and other towns. These
figures are for late 2003.
| Location |
Average home sales price |
Average monthly rent
3-bedroom home |
Average rent
2-bedroom apartment |
| Juneau |
$241,000 |
$1,490 |
$967 |
| Anchorage Municipality |
$241,000 |
$1,389 |
$845 |
| Bethel |
$205,000 |
NA |
NA |
| Ketchikan |
$212,000 |
$1,229 |
$864 |
| Kodiak |
$192,000 |
$1,289 |
$898 |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough |
$169,000 |
$950 |
$671 |
| Mat-Su Borough |
$179,000 |
$1,163 |
$720 |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough |
$172,000 |
$1,274 |
$811 |
| Wrangell-Petersburg |
NA |
$856 |
$682 |
| Sitka |
NA |
$1,325 |
$847 |
| Valdez-Cordova |
NA |
$1,354 |
$866 |
| Rest of state |
$186,000 |
NA |
NA |
Source: Alaska Housing Finance Corp. and the
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Research and Analysis
Section.
NA = Info not available.
FOOD
Upon going to an Alaska grocery store for the
first time you should expect some sticker shock. For comparison, the same
groceries would cost $94 in Portland, Oregon, a commonly used comparison city
where transportation costs are much lower.
Here is what it would cost to feed a family of
four, with two children age 6 to 11, in 18 Alaska cities and towns.
Understand that many goods must be shipped and flown in. The farther north
you go, the more expensive life becomes.
In this chart, Anchorage includes Eagle River, Chugiak and Girdwood. Mat-Su
includes Palmer, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Willow, Houston and other towns of the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
| Location |
Weekly grocery bill |
| Anchorage Municipality |
$107 |
| Bethel |
$187 |
| Cordova |
$163 |
| Delta |
$132 |
| Dutch Harbor |
$167 |
| Fairbanks |
$120 |
| Haines |
$155 |
| Homer |
$144 |
| Juneau |
$124 |
| Kenai-Soldotna |
$128 |
| Ketchikan |
$116 |
| Kodiak |
$142 |
| Mat-Su |
$119 |
| Naknek-King Salmon |
$214 |
| Nome |
$173 |
| Seward |
$132 |
| Sitka |
$128 |
| Tok |
$117 |
Source: University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.
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