The Juneau Economic Development Council surveys the cost of living in Juneau as part of a nationwide survey of living expenses conducted three times in a year in 291 U.S. cities. This survey establishes the average cost of living in the U.S. based on the cost of consumer goods, services, housing, energy, health care and transportation for a moderately affluent professional or executive household. With the average cost across all urban communities surveyed set at 100, Juneau’s 2018 annual average composite score of 134.1 means that it is approximately one-third more expensive to live in Juneau than the average U.S. city, giving Juneau the highest cost of living among the four Alaskan communities surveyed. The cost of housing and health care, one and a half times the survey average, contribute significantly to Juneau’s high cost of living. Fairbanks had the lowest composite cost of living score in Alaska at 128.5, and had the lowest average cost of groceries and housing in the state, but could expect to pay over twice as much as the average American on home energy.
Source: Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), Cost of Living Index, 2018 Annual Average Data; Note: National average for 291 urban areas = 100.
