Moving from Alaska to Washington
Moving to Washington on the same salary cuts your real buying power by 5.6%; you'd need about $101,400 to break even. Change the salary below to see your own numbers.
The salary comparison above is for W-2 earnings. Your retirement income and budget results appear in the calculator below.
State-median gross rent (2024 ACS): $1,444/month in Alaska and $1,824/month in Washington. These are state benchmarks, not current rental quotes or your own housing costs. Compare your salary offer, housing and moving-cost recovery using the personal-budget option in the calculator.
Equal salary in WA: $101,400
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $101,400 in Washington to match $95,000 in Alaska ($6,400 more), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
The renter figure uses ACS gross rent, which includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels. The buyer figure adds electricity separately to mortgage, property tax and insurance. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. These are selected-cost changes, not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $95,000 | Alaska | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $12,070 | $12,070 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $7,268 | $7,268 |
| State income tax | $0 | $0 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $271 | $1,318 |
| Take-home pay | $75,392 | $74,345 |
Key facts: Alaska to Washington
- Median rent
- $1,444 → $1,824/mo
- Median home value
- $376,500 → $602,200
- Price level (U.S. = 100)
- 102.4 → 107.0
- Natural hazard risk (FEMA)
- High county-score mean → Very high county-score mean
What changes when you move to Washington
- Neither state taxes wages, but Washington's paid-leave and long-term-care premiums cost about $1,047 a year more than Alaska's unemployment insurance contributions.
- BEA's housing rents price index is 34% higher in Washington. Median rent goes from $1,444 to $1,824 a month and the median home value from $376,500 to $602,200.
- Homeowners pay more property tax: the median bill is $4,729 in Washington vs $3,976 in Alaska.
- The average home electric bill is $124 a month in Washington vs $147 in Alaska (EIA 2025), about $273 a year less.
Who moves from Alaska to Washington
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 1,600 households (2,642 people) filed their taxes in Washington after filing in Alaska the year before. That makes Washington the #1 destination for people leaving Alaska. These households reported an average adjusted gross income of $76,663. Going the other way, 1,310 households moved from Washington to Alaska, a net gain of 290 households for Washington.
Five-year trend
Moves from Alaska to Washington peaked in 2018–19 at 1,945 households, then fell 18% by 2022–23. That is still down 18% from 2018–19.
Source: IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23.
Cost to move from Alaska to Washington
Ocean freight: from $3,370
Moving from Alaska to Washington goes by ship or barge through Tacoma, or by road through Canada. Ocean freight alone for a 2–3 bedroom home runs about $3,370 to $4,440; trucking to and from the ports and the loading are extra.
These are published prices for a 2–3 bedroom home, dated in each row, not quotes for your move. Ocean freight changes with fuel surcharges and sailing schedules, so get at least three written quotes.
| Moving method | Published range |
|---|---|
| Rental truck through Canada We found no published price for this route and home size. | Get quotes |
| Moving container, door to door We found no published price for this route and home size. | Get quotes |
| Shipping container you load, port to port Matson's published household-goods rates (from June 1, 2026, with its 10.5% fuel surcharge): 20-ft container from Anchorage to Tacoma, up to 40-ft. Add trucking and loading. | $3,370 – $4,440 |
| Full-service movers We found no published price for this route and home size. | Get quotes |
Port-to-port rows cover the ocean leg only: add trucking to and from the ports, loading and unloading.
Ranges combine 198 published quote ranges on 22 interstate routes (moveBuddha, retrieved 2026-09-24) with 47 independent published prices from U-Pack, HireAHelper and Move.org, which raised the top of several ranges. They are not quotes; get at least three written estimates.
Alaska and Hawaii ranges come from published carrier rates and moving quotes, dated in each row (Matson's household-goods rates, U-Pack, Royal Hawaiian Movers). See how we estimate.
Shipping a car from Alaska to Washington
Car shipping: $2,100–$2,300
Modeled reverse-route proxy for shipping a sedan from Alaska to Washington by ocean carrier is about $2,100–$2,300, typically 2–5 weeks in transit. This estimate reuses published mainland-to-Hawaii or mainland-to-Alaska prices; we have not separately sourced prices for this reverse direction. Actual quotes can differ.
Modeled from 32 published 2026 route prices (SGT Auto Transport 'Ship a Car to Another State' sample routes, SGT Auto Transport cost calculator sample routes) plus published mainland-to-Hawaii and mainland-to-Alaska prices. Reverse ocean routes reuse those inbound prices as a proxy, not a separately sourced price for that direction. The 25% SUV and 35% enclosed-carrier uplifts are model assumptions; ocean carrier packages and vehicle charges can differ. Not a quote.
Alaska vs Washington take-home pay at every salary
| Salary | Equal salary in WA | Take-home change | Take-home in AK | Take-home in WA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $53,000 | -$444 | $42,105 | $41,661 |
| $75,000 | $80,100 | -$769 | $61,322 | $60,552 |
| $100,000 | $106,800 | -$1,116 | $78,909 | $77,793 |
| $150,000 | $160,300 | -$1,810 | $113,520 | $111,710 |
| $250,000 | $266,700 | -$2,668 | $182,911 | $180,243 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. "Equal salary" keeps the same after-tax buying power.
Cost of living: Alaska vs Washington
| Measure | Alaska | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (U.S. = 100) | 102.4 | 107.0 |
| Housing rents price index | 93.8 | 126.0 |
| Utilities price index | 119.0 | 92.9 |
| Goods price index | 106.3 | 104.4 |
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,444 | $1,824 |
| Median home value | $376,500 | $602,200 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $3,976 | $4,729 |
| Electricity (residential) | 28.21¢/kWh | 14.91¢/kWh |
| State sales tax rate | 0% | 6.5% |
| Median household income | $95,665 | $99,389 |
Renting and buying: Alaska vs Washington
| Measure | Alaska | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Income to rent the median home (30% rule) | $57,760 | $72,960 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,494 | $3,786 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $106,865 | $162,244 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,314 | $1,301 |
| Infant child care (center, yearly) | $12,425 | $23,136 |
Mortgage at the Freddie Mac 30-year average with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance that owners with a mortgage paid in 2024 (Census ACS). Premiums have risen in most states since then, so get quotes. See buying a home in Washington for other down payments.
Your yearly budget: Alaska vs Washington
On a $95,000 salary, taxes, gross rent including basic utilities, one car and health insurance for one adult come to $52,738 a year in Alaska and $53,559 in Washington if you rent: $821 more after the move. If you buy the median home, those selected costs use mortgage, property tax, homeowners insurance and electricity instead of gross rent; they come to $67,098 and $78,592 ($11,494 more).
Your yearly budget, before vs after
| Yearly cost | AK | WA | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income and payroll taxes on $95,000, single filer | $19,609 | $20,655 | +$1,046 |
| Car insurance one car, state average | $1,113 | $1,153 | +$40 |
| Gas 12,000 miles at 25 mpg | $2,304 | $2,519 | +$215 |
| Health insurance one adult, age 40, own plan before subsidies | $12,384 | $7,344 | -$5,040 |
| If you rent | |||
| Rent and basic utilities ACS median gross rent, 12 months | $17,328 | $21,888 | +$4,560 |
| Total if you rent | $52,738 | $53,559 | +$821 |
| If you buy the median home (20% down) | |||
| Mortgage payment median home, 20% down, 7.24% | $24,632 | $39,398 | +$14,766 |
| Property tax median home | $3,976 | $4,729 | +$753 |
| Homeowners insurance state median, with a mortgage | $1,314 | $1,301 | -$13 |
| Electricity state average bill | $1,766 | $1,493 | -$273 |
| Total if you buy | $67,098 | $78,592 | +$11,494 |
Taxes: 2026 federal and state rules, standard deduction. Rent, home value and property tax: Census ACS 2024 state medians. Gross rent includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels; those basic utilities are not added again. Mortgage: Freddie Mac 30-year average (7.24%, week of October 29, 2026).
State figures: EIA 2025 average residential power bill (buyers only), NAIC 2023 auto insurance (average per car), Census ACS 2024 homeowners insurance (median for owners with a mortgage; premiums have risen since), AAA regular gas on October 29, 2026, and the KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium. Job-based health coverage usually costs you less, and in 2026 incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level can get a premium tax credit.
Not included: sales tax (combined state and local rates are not in our data yet), food, car payments and other spending.
Child care is not in the totals. Full-time center care for one infant averages $12,425 a year in Alaska and $23,136 in Washington (Child Care Aware of America, 2025 (2024 fallback for Colorado, Washington, DC and South Carolina) state averages).
Cost of living in Washington cities: Seattle, Spokane, Olympia, Bremerton.
After you arrive in Washington
- Washington new resident checklist: driver license and vehicle registration deadlines.
- Taxes the year you move: part-year returns in Alaska and Washington.
- How Washington taxes retirement income.
Frequently asked questions
How much salary do I need in Washington to live like I do in Alaska?
A $95,000 salary in Alaska works out to about $101,400 in Washington once 2026 federal and state taxes and BEA regional price levels are counted. At $100,000 it is about $106,800.
Will I pay less tax in Washington than in Alaska?
No, about $1,047 more a year in income and payroll taxes on a $95,000 salary (20.6% of pay in Alaska vs 21.7% in Washington). Property and sales taxes are shown separately.
How much does it cost to move from Alaska to Washington?
For a 2–3 bedroom home, published prices are shipping container you load, port to port: $3,370 – $4,440 (Matson rates from June 1, 2026). Port-to-port freight leaves out trucking to and from the ports and the loading. Prices change with fuel surcharges and sailing schedules, so get at least three written quotes.
Are more people moving from Alaska to Washington?
Moves from Alaska to Washington peaked in 2018–19 at 1,945 households, then fell 18% by 2022–23. That is still down 18% from 2018–19.
How many people move from Alaska to Washington?
IRS migration data for 2022–2023 show 1,600 households (2,642 people) moved from Alaska to Washington, making Washington the #1 destination for people leaving Alaska. 1,310 households moved the other way.
Is Washington cheaper than Alaska?
Overall prices in Washington are 4.5% higher than Alaska (BEA Regional Price Parities 2024). Median rent is $1,824 vs $1,444 a month.
Compare other moves
Where people from Alaska actually move
- AK to Texas 1,349 households
- AK to California 1,143 households
- AK to Florida 970 households
- AK to Arizona 926 households
- AK to Oregon 755 households
- AK to Colorado 697 households
- AK to North Carolina 518 households
- AK to Georgia 480 households
State-agency links identify the responsible tax office; they do not verify every modeled rule. Use forms and guidance for the year you are filing.