Some of the costs of living here are higher simply because good need to often be shipped in. But some of the costs of living here are very low due to low demand. It more than balances out and you’ll definitely spend less to live here than you would in almost any city on the mainland.
If you love convenience industry tools of major cities – rideshares, grocery/meal delivery, public transit, etc – you will likely not love living here right away. But part of the appeal of living here is retraining your system to understand that you may not in fact need those things.
That said, there are at least a half dozen people every year who move here expecting to love the small town isolation vibe and leave after a month or two. We understand that Alaska living isn’t for everyone and wish these folks well on their way outta town!