Overall
89.4
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
Cost-of-living indicators for Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 89.4
- Overall RPP
- #302
- of 387 metros
- 68.3
- Rents RPP
- $112K
- $100K national buys
Little Rock ranks #302 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 3.5 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Lynchburg
The verdict
Little Rock costs less than 78% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 89.4, 10.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 68.3.
- bottom 22%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 74.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $111,902 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $89,364.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$89,364
in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,682
$75,000 nationally
$67,023
$125,000 nationally
$111,705
$150,000 nationally
$134,046
$200,000 nationally
$178,728
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
71/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
71st 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.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Little Rock's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Little Rock: rents index at 68.3, 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 89.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Tulsa, OK, Elizabethtown, KY, Gulfport-Biloxi, MS. They resemble Little Rock 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, Little Rock's overall index has fallen by 3.5 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.
Little Rock vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
89 Bottom 22% higher than 22% 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
Little Rock cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
68.3 RPP
- Services
Services
74.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
89.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.6 RPP
What this shows Little Rock's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 68.3 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 74.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Little Rock's cost comes from
Metros near Little Rock's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Little Rock (Little Rock, this metro): goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 68.3
- Lynchburg: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 63.9
- Canton: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 58.1
- Columbus: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 61.2
- Columbia: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 69.2
- Sandusky: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 59.5
- Longview: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 66.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.6
Below avg
Services
74.6
Cheap
Rents
68.3
Cheap
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Little Rock's overall RPP fell -0.1 points, from 89.5 in 2023 to 89.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 82.1 to 74.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 3.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 3.1 points from the year before.
Little Rock overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.8 |
| 2009 | 91.4 |
| 2010 | 93.6 |
| 2011 | 93.7 |
| 2012 | 93.7 |
| 2013 | 94.0 |
| 2014 | 93.7 |
| 2015 | 93.5 |
| 2016 | 94.3 |
| 2017 | 93.4 |
| 2018 | 90.3 |
| 2019 | 90.5 |
| 2020 | 90.6 |
| 2021 | 91.6 |
| 2022 | 89.3 |
| 2023 | 89.5 |
| 2024 | 89.4 |
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR's index of 89.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
AR-relative analysis
Goods prices places Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR near the bottom of AR's metros
Among the 5 AR metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 5
0th percentile in AR
Services prices
#3 of 5
40th percentile in AR
Rent prices
#2 of 5
60th 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR: 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 (89.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (68.3 here).
Other AR Metros
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 91.4 Fort Smith, AR-OK 85.9 Jonesboro, AR 85.9 Hot Springs, AR 85.7
View all AR metros → Cheapest in AR → Most expensive in AR →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Little Rock'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.
Tulsa, OK
Goods 93.8 · Services 73.9 · Rents 68.2 Elizabethtown, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 74.6 · Rents 66.7 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
Goods 96.2 · Services 76.3 · Rents 67.9 Lewiston, ID-WA
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.6 · Rents 71.9 Bowling Green, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.2 · Rents 63.4 Oklahoma City, OK
Goods 93.8 · Services 74.1 · Rents 73.9
Compare to Other Metros
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Little Rock
How to read Little Rock'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 $111,902 in Little Rock. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 68.3, 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 Little Rock 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR?
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 89.4, meaning it is 10.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.6, services at 74.6, and rents at 68.3. It ranks #302 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $89,364 in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR. Conversely, $100K earned in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR has the purchasing power of $111,902 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR?
Rents in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR are indexed at 68.3, which is 31.7% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR's overall cost index changed by -3.5 points (from 92.8 to 89.4). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR?
The priciest category in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 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 68.3, 31.7% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Lynchburg, Canton-Massillon, Columbus. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR's 89.4.
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.