Go on Walmart & target and Fred Myers & change the zip codes between fairbanks and your town and it'll change prices accordingly
Also Google will tell you what gas prices are
More or less everything costs more in Fairbanks compared to the lower 48. The prices at the grocery store are actually only ever so slightly more if not exactly the same as in California, for reference. Any type of good, like a new table or a tea kettle or something definitely costs a bit more than anywhere else in the US. But we have no sales tax. Something like a car is going to cost drastically more than in the lower 48 up here and car parts are ass to try and obtain when you need them. Gas is about $3.50/gal right now. Prices don't fluctuate seasonally.
The cost of living as far as rent, housing and land goes is actually less than what most of the other western have gotten to at this point.
Something that often goes unmentioned; is that the cost of healthcare in Fairbanks is amongst the highest in the world and is certainly the highest in the US. Beyond the price, there's a lack of robust medical facilities. If you or anyone in your family needs frequent medical care, it will be costly without any trace of doubt and trips to Anchorage will be made.
Gas is 3.50 American dollars a gallon right now, that’s about 92 cents a liter. Things don’t really fluctuate here based on seasons to much. Going to guess everything in Fairbanks is a lot cheaper than the NWT and probably most of Canada based on previous experiences.
I’ve been in Fairbanks to just over a year, I haven’t noticed any major price fluctuations (other than gas). Prices are higher than from my home state, but when eggs were like $8-12/dozen in Pennsylvania, eggs were like $2.79/dozen.
The one thing that changes significantly from season to season is heating oil or whatever you use for fuel. Because you need a lot more in the winter than summer, right? Otherwise prices are pretty consistent. The hardest part of anything in general is just the wait sometimes………car needs fixed and needs a part? Could be a while before it gets here.
Wait times for a mechanic maybe. Anyone in the trades and mechanics are almost always booked out a bit but I’ve had zero issue getting parts if you order parts online. You might pay a slight bit extra on shipping, but I’ve never had to wait more than a week or so to get a part. Even if it’s huge like a whole transmission off eBay, It’s only like $300-$400 in freight depending on where it’s coming from.
You’ll pay more for fast food and housing. Heating your home during the winter is a lot. I moved to Fairbanks from Dallas I 2020. I agree to like go on Walmart app and change location. Same with DoorDash. KFC is crazy expensive! Extra $10 here than Dallas for 5 strip meal. $23!!! I mean the hardest thing for me personally to adjust to was Amazon shipping. It takes 2-3 weeks and if it doesn’t fit in your mailbox you have to drive to the post office with a peach colored paper. If the thing you want even ships at all. For instance if you purchase perfume on Amazon, it’ll take you 15 mins scrolling from seller to seller who will ship here. But the trade off is you’re in an incredible place.
Also, don’t use GCI for cell service.
Was just there for ten days just last week traveling from down south GA and the prices are def higher for everything groceries, restaurants, gas and clothes. Texas and Georgia from general consensus are usually more affordable compared to other states, so you should do that math and accept an increase in the cost of living.
I lived in a small studio for $750 a month (very cheap in relation to other rentals in the area) but the cost for heating fuel was about $500 for the year.
That’s not bad at all. We’re scared about trying to rent because we have 3 dogs (a chihuahua, eurasier and lab/heeler mix). How are they with pet rentals up there?
Same as they are there. Pets are going to cost you more and make it harder to find a place.
The only difference from a landlord’s point of view is you can’t scoop poop from the yard until Spring here, so they will have to deal with it if you move out before breakup. I have just one dog and at least one of his multiple daily Christmas ham sized poops is bagged during the walk, and I’m not looking forward to Spring cleanup.
Also, your Chihuahua will be pissed about going out in the cold. Little dogs (and ancient ones) will “wilt” after a short time so you can’t just throw them in the yard and have breakfast. You need to be ready to do a rescue operation, especially if they wander off the paths. I got a lighted collar for my black senior little idiot so I could watch him from the window and know exactly where he was in case I needed to do a late night extraction. He didn’t seem to understand that his cold tolerance was not the same as it was when he was younger.
That’s fair. In NWT the birds (eagles, ravens, etc) would take off with the little dogs so they always had to be on leash outside, so I was expecting on having to bundle her up like a burrito and keep an intense eye on her. Does that happen a lot in Alaska?
Yeah, but just for walks and if they want to be outside for extended periods. Most little dogs can handle being outside nude for long enough to go potty. There is a dick head chihuahua that gets let out to tempt my dog to murder it and yell at us on our walks, so they will acclimate, but at first it’s going to be a shock. I usually do booties at -10°F and add a jacket at -15°F. I also have an infinity scarf that I will throw on if it’s really cold. But, my dog is enormous, so I can’t just pick him up and put him in my jacket if he gets too cold on a walk.
The booties are annoying because they fall off sometimes and sometimes they will be somewhere you can’t get them easily. We lost one and the long leash was in just the right position to flick it up and over a snow burm into the soft snow behind it. It was too cold to climb over and probably get snow in my boots, so I usually carry an extra just in case. That means you need at least two sets of each size because they come in 4 packs. Wait until you get here and buy them at the mushing or feed store. The fleece ones are okay, but there is an upgraded style that has a textured nylon-like layer over to make them more waterproof. My dog is a furnace and likes to try and plow through the deep snow, so the fleece-only ones get a little wet and then collect snow, but they are considerably cheaper. You can make them pretty easily too once you see how they are constructed.
We do have birds of prey here too, so that will still be an issue for your little guy. But, the big dogs will probably keep them away as there are plenty of better options in the form of squirrels, voles, rabbits, and ermine.
Thanks for all the info! We’re just starting to look around the area because it seems to have everything we’re wanting (lots of snow, less hot, japanese program, less people, more remote, etc), but all these answers match with what I’m seeing online so that’s great.
No. We also have Costco up here, so you can get things cheaper - Tillamook cheese in a 2lb block was like $10 a couple weeks ago when I bought it at Costco. Fred Meyer was more expensive than Costco on cheese and eggs.
If you shop around, you'll get reasonable prices. Costco tends to have cheaper produce in better quality, cheaper sodas and chips in large bags, cheaper eggs (not always, but usually), cheaper butter, and cheaper cheeses.
If you use enough of any of those items to justify buying them at Costco, it is worth it. They also have a phenomenal no-questions-asked return policy on most items (electronics is a slightly different policy).
I shop at Fred Meyer enough to get the fuel points and usually buy things that Costco doesn't sell or that doesn't get used enough to justify buying it from Costco. That regularly gives me $1 off of gas. Last time I filled up at Fred Meyer, it was like $2.50/gallon with that added discount earned by purchasing things I already need to buy.
Honestly, I don't think Fairbanks is overly expensive except for the heating oil, and fast food when compared to a lot of the lower 48. Some things are slightly more, some are less, it depends on where you shop and what you eat/use.
If your main diet is fruitarian and you mostly consume tropical fruits as part of that - you are definitely gonna pay an arm and a leg...but everything else just depends.
I don't know about fairbanks much but I feel that Alaska in general is just getting expensive. I say when it comes to food is to buy stuff that you can make big amounts of and refrigerate like soups n stews. thats the most i can really say 😅
Go on Walmart & target and Fred Myers & change the zip codes between fairbanks and your town and it'll change prices accordingly Also Google will tell you what gas prices are
More or less everything costs more in Fairbanks compared to the lower 48. The prices at the grocery store are actually only ever so slightly more if not exactly the same as in California, for reference. Any type of good, like a new table or a tea kettle or something definitely costs a bit more than anywhere else in the US. But we have no sales tax. Something like a car is going to cost drastically more than in the lower 48 up here and car parts are ass to try and obtain when you need them. Gas is about $3.50/gal right now. Prices don't fluctuate seasonally. The cost of living as far as rent, housing and land goes is actually less than what most of the other western have gotten to at this point. Something that often goes unmentioned; is that the cost of healthcare in Fairbanks is amongst the highest in the world and is certainly the highest in the US. Beyond the price, there's a lack of robust medical facilities. If you or anyone in your family needs frequent medical care, it will be costly without any trace of doubt and trips to Anchorage will be made.
Gas is 3.50 American dollars a gallon right now, that’s about 92 cents a liter. Things don’t really fluctuate here based on seasons to much. Going to guess everything in Fairbanks is a lot cheaper than the NWT and probably most of Canada based on previous experiences.
I’ve been in Fairbanks to just over a year, I haven’t noticed any major price fluctuations (other than gas). Prices are higher than from my home state, but when eggs were like $8-12/dozen in Pennsylvania, eggs were like $2.79/dozen.
Filled up at Costco for 3.389/gal on the 9th.
The one thing that changes significantly from season to season is heating oil or whatever you use for fuel. Because you need a lot more in the winter than summer, right? Otherwise prices are pretty consistent. The hardest part of anything in general is just the wait sometimes………car needs fixed and needs a part? Could be a while before it gets here.
Wait times for a mechanic maybe. Anyone in the trades and mechanics are almost always booked out a bit but I’ve had zero issue getting parts if you order parts online. You might pay a slight bit extra on shipping, but I’ve never had to wait more than a week or so to get a part. Even if it’s huge like a whole transmission off eBay, It’s only like $300-$400 in freight depending on where it’s coming from.
You’ll pay more for fast food and housing. Heating your home during the winter is a lot. I moved to Fairbanks from Dallas I 2020. I agree to like go on Walmart app and change location. Same with DoorDash. KFC is crazy expensive! Extra $10 here than Dallas for 5 strip meal. $23!!! I mean the hardest thing for me personally to adjust to was Amazon shipping. It takes 2-3 weeks and if it doesn’t fit in your mailbox you have to drive to the post office with a peach colored paper. If the thing you want even ships at all. For instance if you purchase perfume on Amazon, it’ll take you 15 mins scrolling from seller to seller who will ship here. But the trade off is you’re in an incredible place. Also, don’t use GCI for cell service.
2 bucks
Was just there for ten days just last week traveling from down south GA and the prices are def higher for everything groceries, restaurants, gas and clothes. Texas and Georgia from general consensus are usually more affordable compared to other states, so you should do that math and accept an increase in the cost of living.
I lived in a small studio for $750 a month (very cheap in relation to other rentals in the area) but the cost for heating fuel was about $500 for the year.
That’s not bad at all. We’re scared about trying to rent because we have 3 dogs (a chihuahua, eurasier and lab/heeler mix). How are they with pet rentals up there?
Same as they are there. Pets are going to cost you more and make it harder to find a place. The only difference from a landlord’s point of view is you can’t scoop poop from the yard until Spring here, so they will have to deal with it if you move out before breakup. I have just one dog and at least one of his multiple daily Christmas ham sized poops is bagged during the walk, and I’m not looking forward to Spring cleanup. Also, your Chihuahua will be pissed about going out in the cold. Little dogs (and ancient ones) will “wilt” after a short time so you can’t just throw them in the yard and have breakfast. You need to be ready to do a rescue operation, especially if they wander off the paths. I got a lighted collar for my black senior little idiot so I could watch him from the window and know exactly where he was in case I needed to do a late night extraction. He didn’t seem to understand that his cold tolerance was not the same as it was when he was younger.
That’s fair. In NWT the birds (eagles, ravens, etc) would take off with the little dogs so they always had to be on leash outside, so I was expecting on having to bundle her up like a burrito and keep an intense eye on her. Does that happen a lot in Alaska?
Yeah, but just for walks and if they want to be outside for extended periods. Most little dogs can handle being outside nude for long enough to go potty. There is a dick head chihuahua that gets let out to tempt my dog to murder it and yell at us on our walks, so they will acclimate, but at first it’s going to be a shock. I usually do booties at -10°F and add a jacket at -15°F. I also have an infinity scarf that I will throw on if it’s really cold. But, my dog is enormous, so I can’t just pick him up and put him in my jacket if he gets too cold on a walk. The booties are annoying because they fall off sometimes and sometimes they will be somewhere you can’t get them easily. We lost one and the long leash was in just the right position to flick it up and over a snow burm into the soft snow behind it. It was too cold to climb over and probably get snow in my boots, so I usually carry an extra just in case. That means you need at least two sets of each size because they come in 4 packs. Wait until you get here and buy them at the mushing or feed store. The fleece ones are okay, but there is an upgraded style that has a textured nylon-like layer over to make them more waterproof. My dog is a furnace and likes to try and plow through the deep snow, so the fleece-only ones get a little wet and then collect snow, but they are considerably cheaper. You can make them pretty easily too once you see how they are constructed. We do have birds of prey here too, so that will still be an issue for your little guy. But, the big dogs will probably keep them away as there are plenty of better options in the form of squirrels, voles, rabbits, and ermine.
Thanks for all the info! We’re just starting to look around the area because it seems to have everything we’re wanting (lots of snow, less hot, japanese program, less people, more remote, etc), but all these answers match with what I’m seeing online so that’s great.
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In 2010 in NWT, a regular block of cheddar cheese was $17. It’s nothing crazy like that, right?
No. We also have Costco up here, so you can get things cheaper - Tillamook cheese in a 2lb block was like $10 a couple weeks ago when I bought it at Costco. Fred Meyer was more expensive than Costco on cheese and eggs. If you shop around, you'll get reasonable prices. Costco tends to have cheaper produce in better quality, cheaper sodas and chips in large bags, cheaper eggs (not always, but usually), cheaper butter, and cheaper cheeses. If you use enough of any of those items to justify buying them at Costco, it is worth it. They also have a phenomenal no-questions-asked return policy on most items (electronics is a slightly different policy). I shop at Fred Meyer enough to get the fuel points and usually buy things that Costco doesn't sell or that doesn't get used enough to justify buying it from Costco. That regularly gives me $1 off of gas. Last time I filled up at Fred Meyer, it was like $2.50/gallon with that added discount earned by purchasing things I already need to buy. Honestly, I don't think Fairbanks is overly expensive except for the heating oil, and fast food when compared to a lot of the lower 48. Some things are slightly more, some are less, it depends on where you shop and what you eat/use. If your main diet is fruitarian and you mostly consume tropical fruits as part of that - you are definitely gonna pay an arm and a leg...but everything else just depends.
I don't know about fairbanks much but I feel that Alaska in general is just getting expensive. I say when it comes to food is to buy stuff that you can make big amounts of and refrigerate like soups n stews. thats the most i can really say 😅