Moving to Alaska in 2023? Complete Relocation Guide

That means the average cost of living in Alaska is higher than the U.S. average. Since you’re considering moving to Alaska, check out the various items that makes up the cost of living in the state:

Alaska’s housing market

If you’re considering buying a home after moving to Alaska, you should be aware that up to 65% of Alaskans are homeowners. That means buying a property in the Last Frontier is a good idea. The following are key stats about the state’s housing market:

• Alaska’s median home cost is $310,000
• Over the last ten years, home values in Alaska have increased by 15.5%
• About 33% of Alaskans are renters
• Around 2.1% of homes and apartments in Alaska are open to rent
• Currently, home prices in Alaska are up by 1.6%

Rental homes average costs in Alaska

If you’re interested in renting a home after moving to Alaska, we’ve collated key prices about the state’s rental market. Check out the average costs of renting various homes and apartments in Alaska:

• The average cost of a studio apartment in Alaska is $891
• The average cost of a 1-bedroom home or apartment in Alaska is $984
• The average cost of a 2-bedroom home or apartment in Alaska is $1,272
• The average cost of a 3-bedroom home or apartment in Alaska is $1,792
• The average cost of a 4-bedroom home or apartment in Alaska is $2,136

Here’s key stats of the state’s job market:

• Alaska’s unemployment rate is 7.1%. The national average is 6.0%
• Job growth is Alaska has been negative so far

Top career options in Alaska

Looking for the highest paying jobs in the Last Frontier? We’ve made a list of the top career options to give you a glimpse of what to expect if you’re moving to Alaska:

Top industries in Alaska

Alaska is home to several large industries running the state’s economy. Since you’re considering moving to Alaska, you should be aware of these industries. The following are the leading industries in Alaska:

• Oil and Gas
• Construction
• Healthcare
• Tourism, Leisure & Hospitality
• Government
• Fishing
• Logistics & Moving

Here’s a breakdown of the key taxes in the Last Frontier:

• There is no income tax in Alaska.
• Alaska’s sales tax is 0% - 9.50%
• Alaska’s property tax is 1.18% average effective rate
• Gas tax in Alaska is 8.95 cents per gallon of regular diesel and gasoline

The Last Frontier is home to several different rare gems and the number of things you can do to have fun depends on how adventurous you are. If you’re moving to Alaska, here are some of the best things to do in the Last Frontier:

• Cross-country skiing

  Once it snows in Alaska, the skiing trails across the state get packed. There may be no other U.S. city laced with so many groomed trails open to the public without a mandatory user’s fee.

  Here are some best skiing trails in Frontier State to explore cross-country skiing.

  • Kincaid Ski Trails
  • Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
  • Refuge Ski Trails
  • Eagle River Nature Center
  • Eaglecrest Ski Area
  • Alyeska Resort Downhill
  • Tsalteshi Trails
  • Bartlett Ski Trails
  • Mirror Lake & Coyote Trails

• Snowmobiling

  Alaska has unlimited options to explore the backcountry on a swift machine. The frozen lakes and wooded trails in winter offer plenty of thrills and spectacular treks. Snowmobile tours are a fantastic way to escape into Alaska’s chilly wild.

• Visit the Denali National Park and Preserve

  The 6,045,153-acre Denali National Park and Preserve is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga, with tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, snow, and bare rock at the highest elevations.

• Enjoy river floating

  Nothing can beat the river floating in Alaska. The rivers here are huge bodies of water that move fast, run deep, and are cold. You can float through the heart of the Alaskan wilderness, without the physical exertion of hiking or climbing.

• Flightsee over an Alaska Mountain Range

  Drift into the wind in Alaska and watch the breathtaking scenic beauty of the state from the sky from the air – in Alaska, this is one of the common ways to explore the state. There are dozens of flight tours over the state to explore the beauty from height.

• Watch a Tidewater Glacier Crash into the Ocean

  Alaska promises the golden opportunity to watch glaciers from the close. You can walk to any glacier in the state as Alaska boasts about glaciers covering an estimated 34,000 square miles of area. There are also guided tours to glaciers.

• Feel Alaska’s Vastness by Driving One of its Highways

  Pick one of the many highways in Alaska to experience the scenic and wild beauty of Alaskan landscapes. Each highway and road takes you through different historic Alaskan towns and provides plenty of recreational and entertaining stops along the way.

  We’ve got a list of 6 highways in Alaska to explore the grandeur scenery of the state.

  • Taylor Highway to Top of the World Highway
  • Steese Highway
  • Copper River Highway
  • Walden Point Road
  • Sterling Highway
  • Richardson Highway

• Watch a Glacial River Go By

  The 12-mile Glacier River rises in a remote valley from a glacial meltwater lake from a Twentymile glacier and flows out into a large, wide valley where it receives the water of the Carmen River.

• See Alpenglow at Midnight

  Watch an alpenglow, a stunning natural phenomenon in Alaska, in which a glowing horizontal red band is observed along the horizon line, opposite to the sun. The hues are usually soft and subtle pink, purple and red colors which pop out against a clear backdrop

• Watch a Whale Shatter the Surface

  Perhaps there is no place better than Alaska to watch whales. The state has many whale-watching points that attract millions of people every year. You watch here humpback whales, beluga whales, killer whales, and grey whales, hundreds in number.

  To help you narrow your options, here are some of the best places in Alaska to see whales:

  • Prince William Sound
  • Inside Passage
  • Turnagain Arm
  • Seward
  • Kodiak Island

• View the Northern Lights

  Alaska is one of the best places on earth to see the northern lights, colorful bands of light that dance in the night sky. It is possible to see northern lights in Alaska from mid–August to mid-April, in the winter.

• Visit the Museum of the North

  The University of Alaska Museum of North displays many wonders, including diverse wildlife and Arctic dinosaurs along with collections relating to the natural, artistic, and cultural heritage of Alaska and the Circumpolar North. In summer, the museum also hosts performances and programs to promote science and research.

Tip: Often, you feel like calculating the moving cost before you connect with a moving company. To help you, we've got a free moving cost calculator.

Alaska crime rate by the numbers