Moving to Texas from Arkansas

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Arkansas to Texas — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Arkansas to Texas, you would find that Texas is 10.9% more expensive than Arkansas. A $75,000 salary in Arkansas would need to be roughly $82,208 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Arkansas to Texas.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $82,208

To maintain the same standard of living in Texas

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 2.1% more

Groceries

pay 8.7% more

Transportation

pay 30.8% more

Housing

pay 11.5% more

Childcare

pay 8.3% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 3.7% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Arkansas and Texas stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AR
610
TX
391
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AR
2195
TX
2153

Texas performs significantly better than Arkansas across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

AR
8.6%
TX
16.0%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

AR
38.3%
TX
36.8%

Arkansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult obesity rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

AR
$175,300
TX
$260,400
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

AR
$914
TX
$1,339

Arkansas performs better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

AR
84.9%
TX
90.1%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

AR
22 min
TX
27 min

Arkansas generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

AR
4.2%
TX
3.9%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

AR
$47,319
TX
$70,071

Texas performs significantly better than Arkansas across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

AR
73.8 yrs
TX
76.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

AR
16%
TX
20%

Texas performs significantly better than Arkansas across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Little Rock Rain: 50.0 in/yr (1271 mm)
72° / 53°F

Avg. annual high / low

Austin Rain: 36.2 in/yr (920 mm)
79° / 55°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Little Rock Austin
Jan–Mar 56°/38°F (13°/3°C) 65°/40°F (18°/5°C)
Apr–Jun 80°/61°F (27°/16°C) 85°/63°F (29°/17°C)
Jul–Sep 89°/70°F (32°/21°C) 93°/70°F (34°/21°C)
Oct–Dec 62°/44°F (17°/7°C) 71°/47°F (22°/8°C)
View all months
Month Little Rock Austin
Jan 49°/33°F (9.7°/0.4°C) 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C)
Feb 54°/36°F (12.4°/2.4°C) 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C)
Mar 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.8°C) 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C)
Apr 73°/53°F (22.7°/11.6°C) 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C)
May 80°/62°F (26.8°/16.4°C) 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C)
Jun 88°/69°F (31.2°/20.7°C) 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C)
Jul 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C)
Aug 92°/72°F (33.3°/22.2°C) 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C)
Sep 84°/65°F (29.1°/18.1°C) 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C)
Oct 73°/54°F (23.0°/12.3°C) 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C)
Nov 62°/44°F (16.5°/6.6°C) 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C)
Dec 51°/35°F (10.7°/1.7°C) 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Arkansas?

Day-to-day costs in Texas run about 10% higher than Arkansas on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Texas?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,552 in Texas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Texas safe?

Texas performs significantly better than Arkansas across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Texas compared to Arkansas?

Arkansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult obesity rate.

What's the weather like in Texas compared to Arkansas?

The average high temperature in Austin is 79°F, compared to 72°F in Little Rock. Austin receives around 36.2 in of rainfall per year, while Little Rock gets 50.0 in.

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