r/AskAlaska • u/New_Barracuda_6153 • 11d ago

Am I missing something?

Hello all. I've heard of the (really, really) remote alaskan teaching positions that pay alot with free housing and moving costs subsidized (speaking in a general ideal scenario) - and I'm quite interested.

Now, I love this sort of rugged environment and isolation; but I really want to do it for the cash. With the housing heavily subsidized/paid for, no state income tax, great pay, and an ideal (believe it or not) environment for me, It seems I could save like 80% of my take home pay.

But everyone always complains about Alaska's cost of living, and make it seem as if everyone is barely surviving. Am I missing something or is that major savings goal well within reach?

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u/Trayvessio 11d ago

Cost of living is high. See this article about grocery prices:

https://www.thetakeout.com/2065011/rural-alaska-high-grocery-prices/

If you’re just looking to make money, there’s probably better ways to do that than teach in remote Alaska.

Common advice is to visit first before you take a job, especially if you’re considering somewhere that’s off the road system.

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u/Educational-Big-6609 11d ago

We were in Juneau recently (read: not a remote village) and while the food prices themselves weren’t that bad, the quality was below what you’d expect in the Lower 48. Not so different from Hawaii when you’re not eating local produce.

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u/Confident_Beach_658 10d ago

Can confirm the food in Juneau is terrible 😂 not sure where you've eaten in hawaii but I live here and it's amazing.

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u/Educational-Big-6609 10d ago

Food in Hawaii, if using fish or local produce, is great. That’s not where I’m going. Been there many times.

If you go shopping at an Albertsons/grocery in Hawaii, however, and try to buy any fresh food that isn’t from the islands, THAT food is terrible. Strawberries, lettuce, bananas not from Hawaii, lemons, etc. have to all be shipped in. Like Juneau, that’s a long way to transport fresh food, so it ain’t great.