Cost of living comparison

 Virginia, USA
compared to
 Alaska, USA
Alaska vs. Virginia Cost of Living Summary

Alaska is 1.7% more expensive than Virginia.

Restaurants
pay 12.1% more in Alaska
Groceries
pay 17.8% more in Alaska
Transportation
pay 5.8% less in Alaska
Housing
pay 14.6% more in Alaska
Childcare
pay 52.8% less in Alaska
Entertainment and Sports
pay 23.4% more in Alaska
Clothing
pay 2.9% more in Alaska

The cost of entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, restaurants, and clothing in Alaska are more expensive than in Virginia. Expenses including childcare and transportation are lower in Alaska.

Alaska vs. Virginia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Alaska instead of Virginia, you would:

pay 12.1% more for restaurants

 
Virginia
Alaska
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.49
 
$26.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.13
 
$12.71
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.48
 
$2.60
 

Improve prices ·

pay 17.8% more for groceries

 
Virginia
Alaska
Bread
1 loaf
$3.44
 
$4.74
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.98
 
$7.90
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.79
 
$4.55
 

Improve prices ·

pay 5.8% less for transportation

 
Virginia
Alaska
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.36
 
$4.22
 
Monthly public transit pass $79.15
 
$51.67
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,788.87
 
$27,113.17
 

Improve prices ·

pay 14.6% more for housing

 
Virginia
Alaska
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.48
 
$122.81
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,832.03
 
$1,483.44
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,500.84
 
$1,298.81
 

Improve prices ·

pay 52.8% less for childcare

 
Virginia
Alaska
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,614.20
 
$943.88
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $28,849.72
 
$10,350.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 23.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Virginia
Alaska
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.17
 
$7.04
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.19
 
$4.94
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.03
 
$12.02
 

Improve prices ·

pay 2.9% more for clothing

 
Virginia
Alaska
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$53.05
 
$54.68
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.36
 
$48.00
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$92.16
 
$87.93
 

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: March 2025
Share this

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Alaska or Virginia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.