Hooper Bay has state's highest cost of living
ANCHORAGE - The University of Alaska Fairbanks says it costs more to live in Hooper Bay than in any other community in Alaska.
The quarterly cost-of-living survey by the Cooperative Extension Service at UAF looks at the cost of food and fuel at communities around the state.
The survey found a list of 104 grocery items for an average family of four cost $231.43 in June. Dillingham was the second most expensive community, with an average cost of $198.97. In Anchorage those goods cost $100.19.
Fuel prices also were highest in Hooper Bay. It cost $163.35 for 55 gallons of heating fuel - almost three times the cost in Anchorage. Second highest was Bethel at $124.30 and Dillingham was third at $121.55.
The cooperative extension survey also showed a rise in the cost of living all over rural Alaska, while Anchorage's prices stayed about the same.