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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Arkansas is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Little Rock leads at an index of 89 with rent at just $1,171/month — 38% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
#1 Ranked: Little Rock — cost index 89, rent $1,171/mo, income $60,583
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Arkansas is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Little Rock leads at an index of 89 with rent at just $1,171/month — 38% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Here's Little Rock by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 89. Rent: $1,171/month. Income: $60,583/year. Home price: $214,773. Population: 203,842. The strongest category is Housing at 71; the most expensive is Healthcare at 91. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $8,688 per year vs. the national median. The delta here is big enough to fund a retirement account.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
| Rank | City | Housing Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Rock | 71 | 89 | $1,171 | Details |
203,842 residents · Arkansas
Look, Dive into Little Rock's numbers: cost index 89 (23 points below national average), rent $1,171/month, income $60,583, and a home price of $214,773. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 71, while Healthcare runs 91. With 203,842 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Cities are ranked by their housing cost sub-index within Arkansas. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Little Rock ranks #1 in Arkansas for this analysis with a cost index of 89 and median income of $60,583.
Little Rock, AR has the lowest housing index at 71, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Little Rock is $1,171/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $724 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Little Rock is $214,773, which is 3.5× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Arkansas has a 3.9% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.47%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.57%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.