Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Arkansas Cost of Living Summary
United States is 19.3% more expensive than Arkansas.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.5% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 23.5% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 36.1% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 22.2% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 26.2% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.8% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 7.9% more in United States
The cost of transportation, childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing in United States are more expensive than in Arkansas.
United States vs. Arkansas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Arkansas, you would:
pay 4.5% more for restaurants
|
Arkansas
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.64
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.93
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.51
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.93
|
$2.00
|
|
Arkansas vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.5% more for groceries
|
Arkansas
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.23
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.50
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.55
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.65
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.02
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.52
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$1.38
|
|
Arkansas vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 36.1% more for transportation
|
Arkansas
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.79
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$35.67
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,285.97
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.84
|
$17.61
|
|
Arkansas vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 22.2% more for housing
|
Arkansas
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.56
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,168.77
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$935.60
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$161.48
|
$150.19
|
|
Arkansas vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 26.2% more for childcare
|
Arkansas
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,014.29
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,052.00
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Arkansas vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 14.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Arkansas
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.21
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.05
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.35
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.86
|
$13.64
|
|
Arkansas vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.9% more for clothing
|
Arkansas
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.00
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.19
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.86
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.24
|
$112.04
|
|
Arkansas vs. United States - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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