Overall
- Fort Smith
- 85.9
- Hot Springs
- 85.7
Diff -0.2 RPP
Fort Smith vs Hot Springs
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Hot Springs is 0.2% less expensive than Fort Smith.
0.2% less expensive
Hot Springs, AR is 0.2% less expensive than Fort Smith, AR-OK on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.7 vs 85.9). A $100,000 salary in Fort Smith buys about the same as $99,816 in Hot Springs; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 85.9 (Fort Smith) vs 85.7 (Hot Springs)
- $100k in Fort Smith ≈ $99,816 purchasing power in Hot Springs
- Rents drives the gap (+3.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AR:AR 85.9→85.7
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · AR
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Fort Smith
85.9
Cost Index
Hot Springs
85.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Fort Smith, AR-OK and Hot Springs, AR are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Hot Springs is 3.8 points higher. But rents and services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Fort Smith corresponds to $99,816 in Hot Springs.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fort Smith
- 93.6
- Hot Springs
- 93.6
Diff -0.0 RPP
Services
- Fort Smith
- 73.8
- Hot Springs
- 74.3
Diff +0.5 RPP
Rents
- Fort Smith
- 53.4
- Hot Springs
- 57.3
Diff +3.8 RPP
| Category | Fort Smith | Hot Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.9 | 85.7 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 93.6 | -0.0 |
| Services | 73.8 | 74.3 | +0.5 |
| Rents | 53.4 | 57.3 | +3.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Fort Smith 85.9
Hot Springs 85.7
Goods
Fort Smith 93.6
Hot Springs 93.6
Services
Fort Smith 73.8
Hot Springs 74.3
Rents
Fort Smith 53.4
Hot Springs 57.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Fort Smith would need to be in Hot Springs for the same purchasing power:
| In Fort Smith | In Hot Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,908 | $-92 |
| $75,000 | $74,862 | $-138 |
| $100,000 | $99,816 | $-184 |
| $150,000 | $149,724 | $-276 |
$ in Fort Smith = in Hot Springs
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.9 → 85.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hot Springs more expensive than Fort Smith?
Hot Springs is 0.2% less expensive than Fort Smith. The overall cost index is 85.7 vs 85.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Hot Springs equals $100K in Fort Smith?
A $100,000 salary in Fort Smith has the same purchasing power as $99,816 in Hot Springs. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Fort Smith and Hot Springs?
Rents in Fort Smith are indexed at 53.4 while Hot Springs is at 57.3 (national average = 100). Hot Springs has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.