Moving to Alaska: City Guides, Checklist & Tips
Updated July 2026
Alaska is one of only two states — with New Hampshire — that levy neither an income tax nor a statewide sales tax, and the only one that also pays you to live there: the Permanent Fund Dividend sent every eligible resident $1,000 in 2025 and $1,702 the year before. The catch shows up everywhere else. Everyday costs run roughly 25% above the national average even though the typical home costs about $396,000 as of mid-2026, per Zillow — groceries, energy, and shipping do the damage, not housing. The military anchors the two biggest job markets: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, and Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base in the Fairbanks area, where service members draw an overseas-style cost-of-living allowance on top of BAH (basic allowance for housing). This hub collects our Alaska city guides as they publish, plus the practical steps to become a resident.
Alaska City Guides
Anchorage
Home to roughly four in ten Alaskans — and to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Guide coming soonFairbanks
The Interior's hub, anchored by Fort Wainwright and Eielson AFB, where daylight swings from 22 hours in June to under 4 in December.
Guide coming soonJuneau
The state capital, reachable only by air or sea — no road connects Juneau to the rest of Alaska.
Guide coming soon
Alaska Living and Vacationing Quick Reference
Living here
- State income tax
- None — Alaska taxes neither wages nor investment income
- Sales tax
- No statewide sales tax, but many towns levy their own — zero in Anchorage, 5% in Juneau, 2.5% in Wasilla
- Median home price
- About $396,000 statewide as of mid-2026, per Zillow — roughly $287,000 in Fairbanks and $481,000 in Juneau
- Cost of living
- Roughly 25% above the national average — groceries, energy, and shipping drive the premium, not housing; the annual PFD ($1,000 in 2025, $1,702 in 2024) claws some of it back
- Driver's license deadline
- 90 days after establishing residency — vehicle registration runs on the same 90-day clock
- Population
- About 739,000 as of 2025 — roughly four in ten Alaskans live in Anchorage
Visiting first
- Main airport
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC), with Fairbanks (FAI) and Juneau (JNU) as the other jet hubs
- National parks
- Eight — the most of any state — including Denali, Glacier Bay, Katmai, and Wrangell-St. Elias, the largest national park in the country
- Best scouting months
- June through August, when days run long and highs commonly reach the 60s and 70s — add a December visit if you are serious, to test the dark
- The darkness, honestly
- Fairbanks swings from about 22 hours of daylight at the June solstice to under 4 in late December; coastal cities like Juneau are far less extreme
- A capital with no road
- Juneau cannot be reached by car — residents and freight arrive by air or by Alaska Marine Highway ferry
- Getting around
- About 82% of Alaska communities sit off the road system, per the state DOT — ferries and small planes fill the gap
How Alaska Got Its Name
Alaska comes from the Aleut word Alaxsxaq, usually translated as "the object toward which the action of the sea is directed" — in plain terms, the mainland. Russian fur traders wore it down to Alyaska, and the United States kept the name with the 1867 purchase; the "great land" version on tourism signs is a looser rendering scholars still debate. The name's westernmost reach carries the state's heaviest military history: in World War II, Japanese forces occupied the Aleutian islands of Attu and Kiska, and the 1943 Battle of Attu became the only land battle of the war fought on North American soil.
How to Become a Alaska Resident
Establishing residency unlocks a Alaska driver's license, vehicle registration, in-state tuition, and resident access to state parks and programs. You establish residency in Alaska by doing any one of the following — you don't need all of them:
- Renting or buying a home in Alaska
- Being employed within Alaska
- Being registered to vote in Alaska
- Having a business located in Alaska
- Having children who attend an Alaska primary or secondary school
Alaska Moving Checklist
- Transfer your driver's license and register your vehicle — deadlines in the quick reference above
- Register to vote at your new address
- Once you've completed a full calendar year in Alaska, apply for the Permanent Fund Dividend
- Prepare your vehicle for winter — block heaters and winter tires are standard equipment in the Interior
- Transfer medical and dental records and find new providers
- File your change of address with USPS
- Review the tax picture: no state income tax and no statewide sales tax, but check your city's local sales tax
Questions Movers Ask About Alaska
Does Alaska have a state income tax or sales tax?
Neither — Alaska is one of just two states (with New Hampshire) that have no state income tax and no statewide sales tax. Local governments can levy their own sales taxes, and many do: Anchorage charges none, Juneau charges 5%, and some small towns reach combined rates near 7.85%. Check the rate for your specific city before you budget.
What is the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend and do I qualify?
The PFD is an annual payment to residents from the earnings of the state oil-wealth fund — $1,000 per person in 2025 and $1,702 in 2024, per the Alaska Department of Revenue. To qualify you must live in Alaska for the entire calendar year before you apply and intend to remain indefinitely, so a mover arriving mid-year waits through the first full year before the first check.
How long do I have to get an Alaska driver's license after moving?
90 days. Alaska gives new residents 90 days from establishing residency to get an Alaska license, and vehicle registration runs on the same 90-day clock — one of the more generous windows in the country.
How expensive is it to live in Alaska?
Everyday costs run roughly 25% above the national average, even though housing is not the culprit — the typical Alaska home costs about $396,000 as of mid-2026, per Zillow, with Fairbanks near $287,000 and Juneau near $481,000. Groceries, energy, and anything shipped north drive the premium, and the no-income-tax, no-statewide-sales-tax structure plus the annual PFD claw some of it back.
How dark does Alaska really get in winter?
It varies enormously by latitude. Fairbanks sees under 4 hours of daylight in late December — and about 22 hours at the June solstice. Anchorage and the southern coastal cities are noticeably milder in both directions. Most movers adjust with light-therapy lamps and a winter hobby; visiting in December before committing is the honest test.
Which Alaska city should I move to?
It depends on what you are optimizing for; our city guides for all three are in progress. Anchorage holds roughly four in ten Alaskans, the biggest job market, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Fairbanks serves Fort Wainwright and Eielson AFB with cheaper homes — about $287,000 — and the harshest winters and daylight swings. Juneau, the capital, pairs government work with Southeast rainforest scenery, a $481,000 typical home, and no road out of town.
Moving to Alaska from Another State?
We compare the two states side by side — taxes, housing, and what changes on day one:
Sources and Data Notes
Residency options, license and vehicle-registration deadlines, and tax rates on this page reflect requirements published by the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles and the Alaska Department of Revenue. Cost, housing, and job-market figures draw on the public datasets used across ScoutLocale's city guides, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BestPlaces.net, and Niche.com.
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