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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in Arkansas beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Little Rock stands out at 68 on the index, with rent of $1,171/month and household income of $60,583. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (that's pre-tax, of course).
203,842 residents · Arkansas
Dive into Little Rock's numbers: cost index 68 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — (43 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 68, while Healthcare runs 94. With 203,842 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
#1 Ranked: Little Rock — cost index 68, rent $1,171/mo, income $60,583
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Rock | 68 | $1,171 | Details |
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in Arkansas beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Little Rock stands out at 68 on the index, with rent of $1,171/month and household income of $60,583. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (that's pre-tax, of course).
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Little Rock: $1,171/mo. The cheapest city here is $724 under the national median — that's $8,688/year in savings on rent alone.
Dive into Little Rock's numbers: cost index 68 (43 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 68, while Healthcare runs 94. With 203,842 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
Cities with the highest rents in Arkansas are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. 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 68 and median income of $60,583.
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.