Overall
- Hot Springs
- 85.7
- Fort Smith
- 85.9
Diff +0.2 RPP
Hot Springs vs Fort Smith
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fort Smith is 0.2% more expensive than Hot Springs.
0.2% more expensive
Fort Smith, AR-OK is 0.2% more expensive than Hot Springs, AR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.9 vs 85.7). A $100,000 salary in Hot Springs buys about the same as $100,184 in Fort Smith; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 85.7 (Hot Springs) vs 85.9 (Fort Smith)
- $100k in Hot Springs ≈ $100,184 purchasing power in Fort Smith
- Rents drives the gap (-3.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AR:AR 85.7→85.9
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.
Hot Springs
85.7
Cost Index
Fort Smith
85.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Hot Springs, AR and Fort Smith, AR-OK 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: Fort Smith is 3.8 points lower. 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 Hot Springs corresponds to $100,184 in Fort Smith.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Hot Springs
- 93.6
- Fort Smith
- 93.6
Diff +0.0 RPP
Services
- Hot Springs
- 74.3
- Fort Smith
- 73.8
Diff -0.5 RPP
Rents
- Hot Springs
- 57.3
- Fort Smith
- 53.4
Diff -3.8 RPP
| Category | Hot Springs | Fort Smith | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.7 | 85.9 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 93.6 | +0.0 |
| Services | 74.3 | 73.8 | -0.5 |
| Rents | 57.3 | 53.4 | -3.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Hot Springs 85.7
Fort Smith 85.9
Goods
Hot Springs 93.6
Fort Smith 93.6
Services
Hot Springs 74.3
Fort Smith 73.8
Rents
Hot Springs 57.3
Fort Smith 53.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Hot Springs would need to be in Fort Smith for the same purchasing power:
| In Hot Springs | In Fort Smith | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,092 | +$92 |
| $75,000 | $75,138 | +$138 |
| $100,000 | $100,184 | +$184 |
| $150,000 | $150,276 | +$276 |
$ in Hot Springs = in Fort Smith
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.7 → 85.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fort Smith more expensive than Hot Springs?
Fort Smith is 0.2% more expensive than Hot Springs. The overall cost index is 85.9 vs 85.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fort Smith equals $100K in Hot Springs?
A $100,000 salary in Hot Springs has the same purchasing power as $100,184 in Fort Smith. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Hot Springs and Fort Smith?
Rents in Hot Springs are indexed at 57.3 while Fort Smith is at 53.4 (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.