Insights » Where Alaska’s Household Expenses are the Highest in 2022

Where Alaska’s Household Expenses are the Highest in 2022

How does living in the US’s largest and coldest state affect your wallet? doxo breaks down key insights about Alaska’s household expenses, with a close eye to how bills differ in towns and cities across the state. The average household in Alaska, doxo’s data reveals, pays $2,334 in bills per month.

doxo’s data also has infographics for 10 cities and towns across Alaska, breaking down localized bill pay data figures as well. The state-wide rankings for most and least expensive cities provide insight into cost of living in Alaska and how it changes according to location.

The data sheds light on Alaska’s cost of living through other metrics, too. For example, the “percent of household income” data point shows what percentage of household income local residents spend on bills. doxo’s data also indicates how much more or less expensive specific cities are than the national and state average.

Alaska residents pay $2,334 in household bills a month

The average Alaska household pays $2,334 a month for the 10 most common household bills. This figure takes into account the 10 most common household bills, which are: Mortgage; Rent; Auto Loan; Utilities (electric, gas, water & sewer, and waste & recycling); Auto Insurance; Cable & Internet & Phone, Health Insurance (consumer paid portion); Mobile Phone; Alarm & Security; and Life Insurance.

Alaska residents, overall, pay expensive household bills: the state ranks 8th out of 50 states in terms of average monthly spending. New York ranks 7th, with annual monthly expenses of $2,361, and Washington ranks 9th, at $2,277.

Alaska’s household expenses, on average, are 16.6% higher than the national average of $2,003.

Absolute dollar amounts don’t tell the full story, however. The “percentage of household income” metric provides a more proportional look at bill spending in a particular location. For example, Maryland is the 5th most expensive state and Alaska is the 8th most expensive, but Alaskans spend 36% of their income on bills, while Maryland residents spend only 34%.

Annually, Alaska residents pay $7 billion in household bills. See more data about bill pay in Alaska by clicking on the infographic link below.

Data: doxo INSIGHTS’ bill pay infographic about Alaska

• Average Bill Cost per HH: $2,344 per month
• State Bill Pay Market Size: $7 billion
• doxoINSIGHTS State Rank: 8 out of 50
• Percent of HHI Used for Bills: 36%
• Difference from the National Average: 16.6% higher

Utilities and Housing bills drive Alaska’s higher monthly bill expenses

The average Alaska household pays $2,334 in the 10 most common household bills per month. Rent and mortgage are the largest expenses of this share, both considerably higher than the national average. The average mortgage payment in Alaska is $1,662, and average rent is $1,269.

Utilities expenses and auto loan expenses are also significantly larger than the national average. Alaska’s average auto loans are $501, compared to $433 for the US at large. Average utilities in Alaska are $413, compared to $328 for the national average.

Auto insurance, by contrast, is more affordable in Alaska. While US residents on average spend $196 per month on car insurance, in Alaska they spend just $180.

Note: Health Insurance and Life Insurance expenses do not account for payments made by employers on behalf of employees. These just include out-of-pocket expenses. Also, the state and national bill totals take into account the percentage of households that pay a bill.

Average Alaska Household Bill Spending

Eagle River tops the list of most expensive cities for Alaska’s household bills

Residents of Eagle River pay the highest household bills in the state of Alaska, at an average of $2,775 per month. Ketchikan comes second in the rankings, with residents paying $2,627 on average per month.

In proportion to household income, however, Ketchikan’s bills are far costlier than ones in Eagle River. While Eagle River’s monthly bill basket makes up 30% of average household income there, Ketchikan’s bill basket accounts for the much higher 45% of average household income in that area.

Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is third on the list of 10 cities that doxo provides data for in the state. Residents of the state capital pay $2,501 on average in household bills.

Access detailed infographics about each city or town by clicking on the hyperlinks in the “City” column in the tables below. You can also browse doxo INSIGHTS’ regional bill comparison database to see infographics about more than 4,000 cities and towns across all 50 states in the US.

10 Most Expensive Alaska Cities for Household Bills

*Household Bill Pay Expense averages shown above reflect the ten most common bills paid, including housing (rent/mortgage).

Soldotna is the most affordable Alaska city for household bills

Out of 10 cities and towns in Alaska that doxo provides data for, Soldotna is the most affordable place in Alaska, with residents paying $1,827 on average for household bills. Household bills account for 28% of local income in Piedmont.

Kenai comes in at the second most affordable town or city in Alaska, with residents paying $1,897 per month on average. Palmer comes in third most affordable, at $2,302.

3 Most Affordable Alaska Cities for Household Bills

In the wake of the rise of remote work, some individuals may be deciding whether to move from a more expensive city to a less expensive one. doxo INSIGHTS can be a valuable resource for consumers seeking to make key decisions like this, allowing them to compare Alaska’s household expenses against average bills in different cities and states across the country. They can also use doxo INSIGHTS’ regional bill comparison database to compare average costs for over 4000 towns and cities across the country.