Grocery store prices are abnormally high in Alaska.
(Picture: TikTok)A TikTok video has gone viral after revealing Alaska’s absurdly high grocery store prices.
In the video, titled “Grocery prices in rural Alaska,” user @emilyinalaska_ pans over various grocery store items that seem, to a non-Alaskan, to be strangely priced.
At this Alaskan grocery store, a bag of coffee is priced at $17.99, a jar of Tositos salsa costs $7.99 and Land O’Frost smoked turkey breast is $10.29. Coffee Mate creamer is priced between $11.59 AND $12.89.
Perhaps the most shocking: a block of Tillamook Cheddar is $24.99 and a quart of Darigold milk is $18.29.
The TikTok has gained over 2.3 million views since being posted on November 22.
“The cost of living in Alaska is 24% higher than the national average,” Emily explains. “Goods are priced higher since they have to travel farther by plane or barge to get to rural areas.”
The national average for a gallon of milk is $3.69.
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In a follow-up video, Emily shows grocery store prices in “Urban” Alaska and states that prices in Anchorage and Fairbanks are much more reasonable. A block of Tillamook Cheddar is $9.99, compared to rural Alaska’s $24.99 price.
In a second follow-up video, Emily explains that the hourly minimum wage in urban Alaska is $12.50 an hour, and that there are no minimum wage jobs like this in rural Alaska.
“Y’all living in basically rural New York City by how low the pay is and how expensive the cost of living is,” one user commented.
“Imagine working two hours to afford a half gallon of milk,” another said.
Emily’s TikTok account is devoted to showcasing how different life is in rural Alaska. Other viral videos show a fourteen-story apartment building that includes everything from a post-office to a grocery store, and a 2.7 mile tunnel that is the only drivable entrance to Whittier, Alaska.
