Overall
85.9
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Fort Smith, AR-OK
Cost-of-living indicators for Fort Smith, AR-OK, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 85.9
- Overall RPP
- #370
- of 387 metros
- 53.4
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Fort Smith ranks #370 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.8 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
The verdict
Fort Smith costs less than 96% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 85.9, 14.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 53.4.
- bottom 4%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 73.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,431 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,888.
Fort Smith vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 4% higher than 4% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Fort Smith cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
53.4 RPP
- Services
Services
73.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
85.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.6 RPP
What this shows Fort Smith's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 53.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 73.8. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Fort Smith's cost comes from
Metros near Fort Smith's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Fort Smith (Fort Smith, this metro): goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.4
- McAllen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
- Jonesboro: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.8
- Lake Charles: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 51.8
- Johnstown: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Anniston: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.6
Below avg
Services
73.8
Cheap
Rents
53.4
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Fort Smith's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Fort Smith: rents index at 53.4, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 85.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Jonesboro, AR, Shreveport-Bossier City, LA, Enid, OK *. They resemble Fort Smith across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Fort Smith's overall index has fallen by 4.8 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$85,888
in Fort Smith, AR-OK purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,944
$75,000 nationally
$64,416
$125,000 nationally
$107,360
$150,000 nationally
$128,832
$200,000 nationally
$171,776
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
95/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
95th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 3.1 points from the year before.
Fort Smith overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 90.7 |
| 2009 | 88.3 |
| 2010 | 90.1 |
| 2011 | 89.9 |
| 2012 | 89.8 |
| 2013 | 90.2 |
| 2014 | 91.3 |
| 2015 | 88.9 |
| 2016 | 89.3 |
| 2017 | 89.2 |
| 2018 | 86.1 |
| 2019 | 88.1 |
| 2020 | 87.1 |
| 2021 | 87.7 |
| 2022 | 85.8 |
| 2023 | 85.3 |
| 2024 | 85.9 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Fort Smith's overall RPP rose +0.6 points, from 85.3 in 2023 to 85.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 81.6 to 73.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Fort Smith's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Jonesboro, AR
Goods 93.6 · Services 75.0 · Rents 53.8 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 72.6 · Rents 52.3 Enid, OK *
Goods 93.8 · Services 74.4 · Rents 51.4 Lake Charles, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.7 · Rents 51.8 Alexandria, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.1 · Rents 53.7 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.3 · Rents 51.3
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Fort Smith, AR-OK's index of 85.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
AR-relative analysis
Services prices places Fort Smith, AR-OK near the bottom of AR's metros
Among the 5 AR metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Fort Smith, AR-OK ranks #5 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Fort Smith, AR-OK only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 5
80th percentile in AR
Services prices
#5 of 5
0th percentile in AR
Rent prices
#5 of 5
0th percentile in AR
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within AR only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Fort Smith, AR-OK: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (85.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (53.4 here).
Other AR Metros
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 91.4 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 89.4 Jonesboro, AR 85.9 Hot Springs, AR 85.7
View all AR metros → Cheapest in AR → Most expensive in AR →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Fort Smith
How to read Fort Smith's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $116,431 in Fort Smith. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 53.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Fort Smith head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
Fort Smith, AR-OK has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 85.9, meaning it is 14.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.6, services at 73.8, and rents at 53.4. It ranks #370 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Fort Smith, AR-OK to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,888 in Fort Smith, AR-OK. Conversely, $100K earned in Fort Smith, AR-OK has the purchasing power of $116,431 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
Rents in Fort Smith, AR-OK are indexed at 53.4, which is 46.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Fort Smith, AR-OK getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Fort Smith, AR-OK's overall cost index changed by -4.8 points (from 90.7 to 85.9). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
The priciest category in Fort Smith, AR-OK is goods at 93.6, 6.4% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 53.4, 46.6% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Fort Smith, AR-OK?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Jonesboro, Lake Charles. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Fort Smith, AR-OK's 85.9.
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.