HOW'S THE COST OF LIVING IN ALASKA?

My daughter is contemplating a year contract to go there as a RN and I was wondering what the prices of things there , like; milk, eggs, bread, meat, chicken, and other staple items. How is the housing prices.\? What is the price of gas there?

Any info you can give is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 What area??

i have it on good authority that there are few food choices (no sugar free ice cream) and everything has to be air lifted in.

 Yes area will make a big difference.

Anchorage is less expensive than the rest of the state. 

spartacus:

i have it on good authority that there are few food choices (no sugar free ice cream) and everything has to be air lifted in.

LMAO

 Safeway ad for South Central Alaska

Fred Meyer ad

Click on the above for some prices.

Multiple identities???? Don't tell me OBB is the one who (used to) live(s)  in Fairbanks, worked at Home Depot(?) and said that all food had to be air lifted in, there were hardly any restuarants and no hirds?

I thought that one had disappeared quite a while ago.

 Here are the grocery ads from Safeway and Fred Meyer in Southeast (Juneau)  alot of the small communities do not have access to these stores and their prices are very high!  In Hoonah a pound of Hamburger is 10$ and a gallon of Milk is 9$

http://fredmeyer.inserts2online.com/customer_Frame.jsp?

http://shop.safeway.com/superstore/sixframeset.asp?mainurl=http://safeway1.inserts2online.com/storeReview.jsp?drpStoreID=1820

We don't know where yet but she is trying to find that out so she can make decision. She said it is in a place where it gets really cold and nobody wants to go there and so a company is recruiting for that area.

When we lived in Bethel, a bush community 400 air miles off the US road system, it was common to spend $9 on milk, $20  on OJ, $5 on bread, $60 on watermelon. Yes, $60 for watermelon. Routinely, I would spend $6 per pear. It was bad and yes, in the bush, most everything is air lifted in. During the summer, things can be barged in - but that's only for about 4 months.

Now I live in southcentral Alaska, and prices are reasonable. But like AKP said, Anchorage is a much cheaper part of the state.

Besides, you learn the tricks. Both Walmart and Fred Meyers will ship orders to you, including groceries. You can either call and place your order, order online or go to the store and they'll ship it all to you. Span Alaska is another good way to order groceries and supplies in bulk from Washington and it will be sent to you via barge in the summer time. Real good way to get paper goods, cereals, canned goods, etc.  Drugstore.com is also really good for getting your personal items - and much cheaper if you're not on the road system.

It is very expensive here, but you do learn how to stretch a dollar.

Of course everything must be shipped by air, I mean, it isn't like Canada would allow an American to cross over into it's private property, eat our food, pay taxes on our gas, sleep in our motels, and use our services.  heck no, we are trying to keep Canada, worlds biggest undiscovered secret.

char3bc:

Of course everything must be shipped by air, I mean, it isn't like Canada would allow an American to cross over into it's private property, eat our food, pay taxes on our gas, sleep in our motels, and use our services.  heck no, we are trying to keep Canada, worlds biggest undiscovered secret.

Gee Char are you tired today? that was a little nasty...

SE Alaska everything is shipped either by barge or air.. there is NO Road...They do truck to South Central.. but many area's there are no roads that lead in and out...

Now if the Canadians would figure out a way to mine the Tasequah WITHOUT screwing up Alaska's pristine rivers we all could be happy!  I see yesterday they tipped a tug over in the TAKU River...build a road.... 

No, that wasn't meant to be nasty at all. It was extreme sarcasme at the comment that everything had to be flown in.  I think everyone realizes that there is land between the US continent and the state of Alaska, with many great hiways, and they are very well used.  We have a lot of stuff going past us that is on it's way to Alaska.  Also by boat.  So the comment about things going by air was just one of those stupid comments put out by someone being ignorant.  Now I have to go back and read that comment that she made.

Sorry, didn't mean at all to offend y'all.

 Char there are many places in Alaska that air is the only way to get stuff.  It might be trucked to Anchorage or Fairbanks, but then it has to be airlifted to remote communities.

Tech was commenting on a person who tried to get everyone to believe Fairbanks was one of those places.

hidecogal:

My daughter is contemplating a year contract to go there as a RN and I was wondering what the prices of things there , like; milk, eggs, bread, meat, chicken, and other staple items. How is the housing prices.\? What is the price of gas there?

Any info you can give is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

If she is going to a bush community she probably won't need to buy gas.  In Anchorage I think it's about $4.30 here on the Kenai Peninsula it's $4.75 or at least it was Wednesday.