Cost of Living in Little Rock, Arkansas
Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Little Rock, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.
- Population
- 206,427
- Median household income
- $66,553
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 89.4
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
Is Little Rock a good place to live?
Little Rock is a good place to live if you want your pay to go further: a typical worker keeps more here than in 133 of the 178 other large US cities we track.
A typical worker in Little Rock keeps $9,534 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs. Try your job
- Cost of living11% below the US average (BEA, 2024)
- Rent$992 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
- Taxes$1,251 of state income tax on a typical wage
Cost of living in Little Rock
Prices in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR area run 11% below the US average. Housing is the biggest difference, at 32% below the US average.
- Housing32% 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 items11% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $992 | $11,904 |
| Food | $462 | $5,544 |
| Transportation | $365 | $4,380 |
| Healthcare | $336 | $4,032 |
| Utilities | $194 | $2,328 |
| Total before taxes | $2,349 | $28,188 |
Rent by apartment size
| Monthly rent | Little Rock | Whole metro area |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $985 | $964 |
| 1 bedroom | $992 | $969 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,147 | $1,121 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,540 | $1,504 |
| 4 bedrooms | $1,851 | $1,810 |
Living in Little Rock
How Little Rock compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).
| Measure | Little Rock | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,553 | $81,604 |
| Median home value | $270,700 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,136 | $1,487 |
| Households renting | 46.7% | 34.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 4% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 18.2% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 36.9% |
| Median age | 34.7 years | 39.2 years |
| Average commute, one way | 18.7 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 12.4% | 13.3% |
| Commuting by public transit | 0.8% | 3.7% |
The 1-year survey doesn’t publish commuting method for Little Rock, so those figures come from the 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Home internet
4 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Little Rock, led by Xfinity, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. Fiber reaches 56.3% of homes and 94.2% can get gigabit speeds.
Pros and cons of living in Little Rock
Pros
- Shorter commutes. The average one-way commute is 18.7 minutes, against 27.2 nationally.
- Paychecks go further. A typical worker keeps $9,534 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs, more than in 133 of 178 large cities.
- Lower cost of living. Prices are 11% below the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Cheaper rent. Median rent is $1,136 a month, against $1,487 nationally.
Cons
- Higher poverty rate. 18.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.2% nationally.
- Lower incomes. Median household income is $66,553, against $81,604 nationally.
What your job keeps in Little Rock
Pick a job, or enter your salary, to see what's left after federal, payroll, state and local taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
- Typical salary
- $45,790
- Federal income tax
- −$3,315
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,503
- State income tax
- −$1,251
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$11,904
- Everyday costs
- −$16,283
a year, or $795 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.
What the most common jobs keep here
The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR area.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | $97,870 | $45,891 |
| Registered nurse | $81,070 | $35,049 |
| Project manager | $73,480 | $30,006 |
| Accountant | $65,810 | $24,841 |
| Teacher | $59,840 | $20,275 |
| Licensed practical nurse | $59,240 | $19,817 |
| Truck driver | $57,050 | $18,143 |
| Electrician | $48,200 | $11,377 |
| Auto mechanic | $46,130 | $9,794 |
| Nursing assistant | $35,370 | $1,569 |
Other jobs, A–Z
What each keeps in Little Rock on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.
- Carpenter $11,262
- Civil engineer $36,351
- Data scientist $49,638
- Dental assistant $9,038
- Dental hygienist $40,425
- Dentist $94,307
- Diesel mechanic $18,335
- Financial analyst $35,216
- Firefighter $11,309
- HVAC technician $11,224
- Lineman $51,931
- Mechanical engineer $43,508
- Medical assistant $3,664
- Nurse practitioner $64,937
- Occupational therapist $50,415
- Paralegal $10,987
- Paramedic $20,330
- Pharmacist $71,394
- Pharmacy technician $4,237
- Physical therapist $47,266
- Physician assistant $53,359
- Plumber $12,134
- Police officer $16,453
- Radiologic technologist $30,238
- Respiratory therapist $31,216
- Social worker $15,687
- Software engineer $50,011
- Speech-language pathologist $38,577
- Veterinarian $52,176
- Welder $10,796
Compare Little Rock with other cities
Compare Little Rock with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.
Moving to Little Rock
4 licensed interstate movers are based in Little Rock, and 11 more elsewhere in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).
Questions people ask
Is Little Rock, AR a good place to live?
Little Rock is a good place to live if you want your pay to go further: a typical worker keeps more here than in 133 of the 178 other large US cities we track. The typical worker here earns $45,790 and keeps $9,534 a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
What is the cost of living in Little Rock?
Prices in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR area are 11% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $992 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,357 a month.
How much do you need to earn to live in Little Rock?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $33,400 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR area earns $45,790.
What is the average rent in Little Rock?
HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $985 for a studio, $992 for a 1-bedroom and $1,147 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Little Rock at $1,136 a month (2024).
Does Little Rock have a state or city income tax?
Yes. On a typical wage of $45,790, Arkansas state income tax comes to about $1,251 a year. Little Rock has no local income tax on wages.
What internet providers serve Little Rock?
4 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Little Rock, led by Xfinity, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. 56.3% of homes can get fiber and 94.2% can get gigabit speeds (FCC National Broadband Map).
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, Vintage 2025 population estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, metropolitan area estimates
- HUD Small Area 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 MSA, 2024
- FCC National Broadband Map, fixed broadband availability (data as of December 31, 2025, released 2026-09-29)
- FMCSA Carrier - All With History (operating authority and insurance)
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate