Cost Of Living

Everyday food items are expensive in Alaska (except local seafood), as everything is shipped in.

There is no local farming, though my husband and I grow our own lettuce, peas, carrots and potatoes. Apples cost around £3 a pound and bread £3 a loaf.

There is no National Health Service and health insurance is very expensive, too. You really need to have a decent job that provides insurance to be able to afford to live here. We’re fortunate in that my husband is captain of a ferry that travels to remote communities around south-east Alaska.

The local hospital provides limited care, so you need to have air ambulance insurance. There is no heart specialist here and the cost of being flown out of town on a medical flight is £100,000.