What's the most you've ever paid for a gallon of milk?
$3.99? $5.99? $18.29?
While that last price might seem beyond exorbitant, that's exactly what you would pay should you ever find yourself grocery shopping in rural Alaska.
This was evidenced in a video by TikToker @emilyinalaska_ whose page is exclusively devoted to all that is unique and unusual about living in America's most northern state.
The video has now received over 2.4 million views.
@emilyinalaska_ $18 for milk 🥴 #alaskatok #ruralalaska #fyp #ASOSChaoticToCalm #groceryprices
The 24-second video featured the camera casually strolling down aisles of an unnamed grocery store, exposing the sky high prices of its contents.
These include a bag of coffee going for $17.99, Tostitos salsa going for $7.99, as well as the aforementioned nearly $20 milk.
The video's overlay and voiceover gave some clarity as to why this store's customers might have to budget around the simple act of running out for milk.
"Goods are priced higher since they have to travel by plane or barge to get to rural areas."
"The cost of living in Alaska is 24% higher than the national average."
For some perspective, the average cost of milk in the United states is roughly $3.69
Viewers were astonished by these sky high prices.
@emilyinalaska_/TikTok
@emilyinalaska_/TikTok
@emilyinalaska_/TikTok
@emilyinalaska_/TikTok
@emilyinalaska_/TikTok
@emilyinalaska_/TikTok
@emilyinalaska_/TikTok
At least one TikToker, however, pointed out viewers of this video may have missed these were prices in rural Alaska.
@emilyinalaska_,/TIkTok
@emilyinalaska_ confirmed this statistic in a follow up video, showing what prices were like in urban Alaska.
@emilyinalaska_ Reply to @moodypanda17 Anchorage & Fairbanks are much more reasonably priced! #ruralalaska #alaskatok #fyp #DealGuesser #alaskalife
The second video followed the same format as the first, with the camera slowly panning by the prices at an unnamed grocery store in Anchorage.
Only this time, the prices are much closer to what the average urbanite might expect to find at their local Kroger or Publix, as confirmed by the 22-second video's voice over and overlay.
"If you can travel to Anchorage or Fairbanks, prices are much more reasonable."
In another follow-up video, responding to a question in the comments section of the first video, @emilyinalaska_ revealed that the minimum wage in Anchorage is $12.50 an hour.
@emilyinalaska_ Reply to @beabea4747 $12.50/hr in Anchorage. There are no min wage jobs like this in rural AK #ruralalaska #alaskatok #fyp #alaskalife
The video slowly panned by an Anchorage McDonald's highlighting a promotional poster revealing the starting wage of $12.50 an hour for prospective employees.
But what left fellow TikToker's amazed and confused was @emilyinalaska_ revealing in the video's caption that there were "no minimum wage jobs like this in rural Alaska.'
@emilyinalaska_,/TIkTok
@emilyinalaska_,/TIkTok
@emilyinalaska_,/TIkTok
@emilyinalaska_,/TIkTok
@emilyinalaska_,/TIkTok
Indeed, viewers watching these videos from any of the world's major cities might stop themselves from ever complaining about their costs of living ever again.
