Before you decide to relocate to Alaska, it’s important to research the exact cost of living around the state. And that’s what we’re going to help you do.
These are the places in Alaska that cost a pretty penny — the most expensive cities in the state.
We used Saturday Night Science to compare the 2020-2024 American Community Survey on cost of living for the 22 places in Alaska with more than 5,000 people.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Alaska for 2026.
$111,375 median income · $457,276 median home · #4 home prices in Alaska
$101,727 median income · $492,286 median home · #1 home prices in Alaska
Located in
Sitka City and Borough, Alaska
The City and Borough of Sitka, formerly Novo-Arkhangelsk, or New Archangel under Russian rule, is a unified city-borough located on Baranof Island and the southern half of Chichagof Island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean, in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,881. In terms of land area, it is the largest city-borough in the U.S., with a land area of 2,870.3 square miles and a total area of 4,811.4 square miles ; however, it is the smallest of Alaska’s boroughs. Urban Sitka, the part that is usually thought of as the “city” of Sitka, is on the west side of Baranof Island.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$137,772 median income · $490,119 median home · #2 home prices in Alaska
$101,661 median income · $470,456 median home · #3 home prices in Alaska
Located in
Juneau City and Borough, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau, commonly known as Juneau, is the capital city of Alaska. It is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan panhandle, and it is the second largest city in the United States by area. Juneau has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of what was then the District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900. The municipality unified on July 1, 1970, when the city of Juneau merged with the city of Douglas and the surrounding Greater Juneau Borough to form the current municipality, which is larger by area than both Rhode Island and Delaware.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$103,284 median income · $410,782 median home · #10 home prices in Alaska
Located in
Anchorage Municipality, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. With an estimated 298,192 residents in 2016, it is Alaska’s most populous city and contains more than 40 percent of the state’s total population; among the 50 states, only New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in its most populous city. All together, the Anchorage metropolitan area, which combines Anchorage with the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 401,635 in 2016, which accounts for more than half of the state’s population.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,255 median income · $395,654 median home · #12 home prices in Alaska
Located in
Bethel Census Area, Alaska
Bethel is a city located near the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, approximately 400 miles west of Anchorage, in the Bethel Census Area. Accessible only by air and river, Bethel is the main port on the Kuskokwim River and is an administrative and transportation hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$74,449 median income · $415,050 median home · #9 home prices in Alaska
Located in
Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is two hundred and eighteen miles southwest of Anchorage. According to the 2010 Census, the population is 5,003. Long known as The “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.” Homer is also nicknamed “the end of the road,” and more recently, “the cosmic hamlet by the sea.”
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,415 median income · $342,734 median home · #18 home prices in Alaska
Sterling is a census-designated place in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 5,617.
$105,536 median income · $360,834 median home · #17 home prices in Alaska
$93,508 median income · $369,951 median home · #16 home prices in Alaska
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Alaska’s statewide median.
Alaska statewide median: $387,636
Alaska statewide median: $92,788
On the map
Mapping the most expensive places in Alaska
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Last Frontier For 2026
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford a city in Alaska are how much money you make and how much you have to spend to live there.
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing, it’s actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Overall Cost Of Living Index
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Alaska to figure out which is the most expensive.
You are left with a “Cost of Living Index” by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index to rank all of the 22 places in Alaska that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Alaska according to the data is Fishhook. We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the most expensive places to live in Alaska.
The full plate
Most Expensive Cities In Alaska
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Cost Of Living | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | Home/Income Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fishhook | 135 | 5,819 | $111,375 | $457,276 | 4.1x |
| 2 | Sitka | 134 | 8,368 | $101,727 | $492,286 | 4.8x |
| 3 | Gateway | 134 | 6,845 | $137,772 | $490,119 | 3.6x |
| 4 | Juneau | 133 | 31,794 | $101,661 | $470,456 | 4.6x |
| 5 | Anchorage | 130 | 288,976 | $103,284 | $410,782 | 4.0x |
| 6 | Bethel | 130 | 6,312 | $117,255 | $395,654 | 3.4x |
| 7 | Homer | 129 | 5,877 | $74,449 | $415,050 | 5.6x |
| 8 | Sterling | 127 | 6,323 | $102,415 | $342,734 | 3.3x |
| 9 | Tanaina | 125 | 9,646 | $105,536 | $360,834 | 3.4x |
| 10 | Kalifornsky | 125 | 8,663 | $93,508 | $369,951 | 4.0x |
| 11 | Kodiak | 125 | 5,447 | $90,292 | $437,300 | 4.8x |
| 12 | Knik-Fairview | 124 | 19,972 | $96,437 | $373,686 | 3.9x |
| 13 | College | 123 | 11,924 | $83,895 | $326,783 | 3.9x |
| 14 | Badger | 122 | 18,677 | $97,183 | $341,172 | 3.5x |
| 15 | Chena Ridge | 122 | 5,881 | $133,775 | $434,429 | 3.2x |
| 16 | Wasilla | 119 | 9,720 | $67,234 | $416,650 | 6.2x |
| 17 | Kenai | 119 | 7,641 | $87,083 | $319,496 | 3.7x |
| 18 | Meadow Lakes | 118 | 8,689 | $81,699 | $383,626 | 4.7x |
| 19 | Ketchikan | 118 | 8,078 | $85,275 | $397,251 | 4.7x |
| 20 | Steele Creek | 118 | 5,928 | $121,364 | $382,693 | 3.2x |
| 21 | Fairbanks | 117 | 32,083 | $73,534 | $296,929 | 4.0x |
| 22 | Palmer | 115 | 6,268 | $72,201 | $429,396 | 5.9x |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 22 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Alaska For 2026
Well, there you have it, the places in Alaska that have the highest cost of living, with Fishhook ranking as the most expensive city in the Last Frontier.
The most expensive cities in Alaska are Fishhook, Sitka, Gateway, Juneau, Anchorage, Bethel, Homer, Sterling, Tanaina, and Kalifornsky.
