Overall
- Hot Springs
- 85.7
- Jackson
- 85.5
Diff -0.2 RPP
Hot Springs vs Jackson
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Jackson is 0.2% less expensive than Hot Springs.
0.2% less expensive
Jackson, TN is 0.2% less expensive than Hot Springs, AR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.5 vs 85.7). A $100,000 salary in Hot Springs buys about the same as $99,757 in Jackson; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 85.7 (Hot Springs) vs 85.5 (Jackson)
- $100k in Hot Springs ≈ $99,757 purchasing power in Jackson
- Goods drives the gap (+2.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AR:TN 85.7→85.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AR × TN
- 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
Jackson
85.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Hot Springs, AR and Jackson, TN 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.
Goods creates the largest separation: Jackson is 2.7 points higher. But goods 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 goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $99,757 in Jackson as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Hot Springs, then replace the national basket with your own.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Hot Springs
- 93.6
- Jackson
- 96.2
Diff +2.7 RPP
Services
- Hot Springs
- 74.3
- Jackson
- 72.6
Diff -1.6 RPP
Rents
- Hot Springs
- 57.3
- Jackson
- 56.6
Diff -0.7 RPP
| Category | Hot Springs | Jackson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.7 | 85.5 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 96.2 | +2.7 |
| Services | 74.3 | 72.6 | -1.6 |
| Rents | 57.3 | 56.6 | -0.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Hot Springs 85.7
Jackson 85.5
Goods
Hot Springs 93.6
Jackson 96.2
Services
Hot Springs 74.3
Jackson 72.6
Rents
Hot Springs 57.3
Jackson 56.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Hot Springs would need to be in Jackson for the same purchasing power:
| In Hot Springs | In Jackson | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,879 | $-121 |
| $75,000 | $74,818 | $-182 |
| $100,000 | $99,757 | $-243 |
| $150,000 | $149,636 | $-364 |
$ in Hot Springs = in Jackson
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.7 → 85.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jackson more expensive than Hot Springs?
Jackson is 0.2% less expensive than Hot Springs. The overall cost index is 85.5 vs 85.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Jackson equals $100K in Hot Springs?
A $100,000 salary in Hot Springs has the same purchasing power as $99,757 in Jackson. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Hot Springs and Jackson?
Rents in Hot Springs are indexed at 57.3 while Jackson is at 56.6 (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.