america's highest power bills

And a new state report just pinned that title on Fairbanks.

The Labor Department crunched the numbers on 257 cities across the country. For utility costs, Fairbanks landed at the very top, running about 113 percent above the national average.

That's the price we pay to keep the lights on and the heat running through an Interior winter. No other city in the whole study paid more.

Groceries don't help either. In Fairbanks they run about 23 percent above the national average, so the checkout line stings a little more here than most places. Every trip to the store adds up fast when you're already paying the most in the country to stay warm.

There is one bright spot. Housing in Fairbanks actually came in about 1 percent below the national average, which is almost unheard of anywhere in Alaska.

So the roof over your head is a relative bargain, but heating what's under it is where the Interior really gets you. Overall, Fairbanks costs sit about 23 percent above the national average.

For comparison, Anchorage came in around 25 percent above, and Juneau topped all three as the priciest city in the state.

None of this is a shock if you live here. But seeing it in black and white is a real reminder of what it takes to call the Interior home.