Cost of Living in Arkansas
What it costs to live in Arkansas, how much tax you'll pay, and what common jobs keep after rent and everyday costs.
- Population
- 3,088,354
- Median household income
- $62,106
- State income tax
- Up to 3.9%
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 86.9
What a typical paycheck keeps in Arkansas
The typical Arkansas worker earns $43,630 (BLS). After taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, $9,304 is left. Pick a city for local rents and pay.
- Typical salary
- $43,630
- Federal income tax
- −$3,056
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,338
- State income tax
- −$1,166
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$10,476
- Everyday costs
- −$16,290
a year, or $775 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS statewide median. Rent: HUD FY2027, population-weighted across Arkansas.
Cost of living in Arkansas
Prices across Arkansas run 13% below the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Housing42% below the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)6% below the US average
- Utilities25% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)5% below the US average
- All items13% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $873 | $10,476 |
| Food | $462 | $5,544 |
| Transportation | $365 | $4,380 |
| Healthcare | $336 | $4,032 |
| Utilities | $195 | $2,340 |
| Total before taxes | $2,231 | $26,772 |
Rent is the statewide average of county fair market rents, weighted by population. City rents differ.
Arkansas taxes
State income tax, single filer (2026)
| Taxable income over | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 2% |
| $4,600 | 3.9% |
Low-income table thresholds are the 2025 amounts; the bracket adjustment between $89,601 and $92,700 is not modelled.
Taxes on the median household income
$62,106 of wages, one single filer (Census 2024 median).
| Federal income tax | −$5,273 |
| Payroll taxes | −$4,751 |
| State income tax | −$1,887 |
| Effective tax rate | 19.2% |
Cities in Arkansas
What a typical worker keeps after taxes, rent and everyday costs in each Arkansas city we cover.
What common jobs keep in Arkansas
The 15 jobs that keep the most: statewide median pay, and what's left after taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Dentist | $178,930 | $100,033 |
| Pharmacist | $136,060 | $72,403 |
| Nurse practitioner | $125,660 | $65,701 |
| Physician assistant | $118,430 | $60,973 |
| Data scientist | $109,390 | $54,967 |
| Veterinarian | $107,710 | $53,850 |
| Occupational therapist | $106,360 | $52,953 |
| Software engineer | $104,490 | $51,711 |
| Physical therapist | $99,010 | $48,069 |
| Lawyer | $98,880 | $47,982 |
| Dental hygienist | $86,760 | $40,252 |
| Civil engineer | $85,020 | $39,095 |
| Speech-language pathologist | $83,580 | $38,138 |
| Lineman | $81,450 | $36,723 |
| Financial analyst | $81,110 | $36,497 |
Salary pages in Arkansas, A–Z
Pay range, what’s kept and the best cities for each job.
- Accountant
- Auto mechanic
- Carpenter
- Civil engineer
- Data scientist
- Dental assistant
- Dental hygienist
- Dentist
- Diesel mechanic
- Electrician
- Financial analyst
- Firefighter
- HVAC technician
- Lawyer
- Licensed practical nurse
- Lineman
- Mechanical engineer
- Medical assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing assistant
- Occupational therapist
- Paralegal
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy technician
- Physical therapist
- Physician assistant
- Plumber
- Police officer
- Project manager
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker
- Software engineer
- Speech-language pathologist
- Teacher
- Truck driver
- Veterinarian
- Welder
Top-paying jobs in Arkansas
Median pay, jobs with at least 1,000 workers (BLS OEWS). Linked jobs have a salary page.
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Dentists, General | $178,930 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $140,600 |
| Physicians, All Other | $136,880 |
| Marketing Managers | $136,520 |
| Pharmacists | $136,060 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $127,220 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $125,660 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $124,890 |
| Chief Executives | $119,990 |
| Industrial Production Managers | $118,120 |
| Financial Managers | $116,570 |
| Computer Programmers | $111,840 |
| Human Resources Managers | $108,580 |
| Sales Managers | $108,330 |
| Occupational Therapists | $106,360 |
Living in Arkansas
Arkansas against the US (Census Bureau, ACS 2024).
| Measure | Arkansas | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $215,600 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $982 | $1,487 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 15.5% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 27.1% | 36.9% |
| Average commute, one way | 22.7 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 8.6% | 13.3% |
Nearby states
Compare Arkansas with another state or city: what a job keeps in each, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the cost of living in Arkansas?
Prices in Arkansas are 13% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The statewide fair market rent for a 1-bedroom is $873 a month (HUD, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person come to about $1,358 a month.
Does Arkansas have a state income tax?
Yes. Arkansas's income tax rate is up to 3.9%. On a typical wage of $43,630, a single filer pays about $1,166 a year in state income tax.
How much do you need to earn to live in Arkansas?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom at the statewide fair market rent needs about $31,500 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs. The typical worker in Arkansas earns $43,630 and keeps $9,304 after those costs.
Where in Arkansas does a paycheck go furthest?
Of the Arkansas cities we cover, a typical worker keeps the most in Little Rock ($9,534 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs) and the least in Fayetteville ($9,210).
What jobs pay the most in Arkansas?
Among jobs with at least 1,000 workers, the highest median pay in Arkansas goes to Dentists, General ($178,930); Architectural and Engineering Managers ($140,600); Physicians, All Other ($136,880) (BLS OEWS).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
- HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate