6 Best Places to Retire in Alaska

5. North Slope Borough

Score: 7

Median house price: $150,800

Cost of living index: 114.2

Average commute time: 9.29

Crime rate: 79

Doctors per 100K: 32

Located in the northernmost area of Alaska, the North Slope Borough is also home to Barrow, the American city that’s the farthest north. As you can expect, the weather here is freezing cold, especially with the Arctic Ocean as its neighbor.

The borough covers close to 94,800 square miles, and it is home to over 9,600 people, making for a rather low population density. The area is beautiful, covered with mountains, lakes, and rivers, not to mention the breathtaking ocean coastline, which may make it all seem a little bit better on those freezing days.

The median home price in the area is a cool $150,800, while the cost of living index sits at 114.2, a little over the national average. When commuting, however, it will take you on average a little over 9 minutes to get to your destination.

4. Skagway

Score: 9

Median house price: $306,700

Cost of living index: 144

Average commute time: 4.29

Crime rate: 44

Doctors per 100K: 0

With a population that barely hits the 1,000 mark, Skagway is the smallest borough in Alaska, spreading over some 464 square miles. While this may not seem much, Skagway is actually a popular tourist location, which means that during the summer months the population increases dramatically. That’s mostly because it is a popular stop for many cruise ships, so people come and go quite often. The area is full of history, especially as it was populated since prehistoric times by the Tlingit people who set home in the area.

Skagway is located in a glaciated valley in the Taiya Inlet, which is the north end of the Lynn Canal. The views offered by the area will take your breath away, especially the mountain peaks in the distance. The climate here is unusual for a place so far up north, settling on summers with a cool Mediterranean climate, while precipitations are quite low thanks to the coastal mountains.

The average house price is over $300,000, which is quite expensive. Thankfully, there are some homes you’ll find for well below this price. The cost of living index is 144, most likely driven up by the fact that this is a location quite popular with tourists and price hiking in such areas is not unusual.