‘Everything needs to be flown in’
In a remote Alaskan community where polar bears roam, a loaf of bread costs more than $9, a carton of orange juice costs nearly $10 and a box of cereal tops $11.
Grant Magdanz, 30, recently documented these grocery store prices during his return to Kotzebue in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska. Kotzebue is more than 500 miles away from Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska.
Known as the “Gateway to the Arctic,” Kotzebue has a population of just over 3,000 people, with about 70% of the residents Inupiat Eskimo, according to the city’s website.
In a pair of videos that he shared on social media, Magdanz spoke about the high cost of living in his hometown, where he attended a memorial service for his father.
“The cost of living here is very high because there are no roads in or out,” he said in one video. “Everything needs to be flown in.”
In the most recent video, Magdanz described his visit to the newest grocery store in Kotzebue, recording some food and drink prices there.
Grant Magdanz’s hometown is in Kotzebue, Alaska. Grant Magdanz / SWNS
Butter was on sale for $8.14 per pound, a quart of orange juice was $9.79, a bag of tortilla chips was $11.29, a bag of Starbucks brand coffee was $17.43, a large box of cereal was on sale for $11.05, a loaf of wheat bread was $9.49 — and bananas were priced at $2.99 per pound.
In a video posted in August, Magdanz recorded food and drink prices at the old grocery store there.
Magdanz shared a series of shocking grocery prices online. Grant Magdanz / SWNS
Kotzebue has a population of around 3,000 people. Grant Magdanz / SWNS
The price of milk was $12.69 per gallon, a carton of 18 eggs was $10.79, a 5-pound bag of flour was on sale for $12.99, a regular bag of nacho cheese-flavored chips was $11.29, a 12-pack of soda cans was $15.19 — and a pint of ice cream was $10.69.
Magdanz told news agency SWNS that most people in Kotzebue hunt (caribou and moose, in particular) and fish — “and the diet that people eat is the things that they have hunted.”
Prices are high because all of the food has to be flown into the city. Grant Magdanz / SWNS
“People are not just eating out from the grocery store,” he told SWNS.
Magdanz said that, despite the high prices, Kotzebue was still “a fantastic place to grow up,” mainly because children can learn extensive outdoor skills.
He moved away a decade ago to attend college in Seattle and now lives in Los Angeles, where he got a job after he graduated.
But he’d consider moving back some day, the software engineer told SWNS.
A gallon of regular gas is two and a half times higher than the national average of $3.03, per AAA.
Grant Magdanz / SWNS
The majority of people in Kotzebue hunt and fish for their own food, Magdanz said. Grant Magdanz / SWNS
“It’s a very safe town,” Magdanz said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Magdanz and the grocery store for comment.
