Moving to Arkansas from Texas
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Texas to Arkansas — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Texas to Arkansas, you would find that Arkansas is 10.1% cheaper than Texas. A $75,000 salary in Texas would need to be roughly $67,400 in Arkansas to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Texas to Arkansas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Arkansas
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.0% more
Groceries
pay 8.4% less
Transportation
pay 21.0% less
Housing
pay 9.8% less
Childcare
pay 22.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.8% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Arkansas cost about 8% less than cities in Texas.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Texas to Arkansas.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Texas performs better than Arkansas across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Texas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arkansas leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Arkansas performs significantly better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Texas generally does better on infrastructure, though Arkansas leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Texas performs better than Arkansas across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Texas performs better than Arkansas across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Austin | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 65°/40°F (18°/5°C) | 56°/38°F (13°/3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 80°/61°F (27°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 93°/70°F (34°/21°C) | 89°/70°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 71°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 62°/44°F (17°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Austin | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C) | 49°/33°F (9.7°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C) | 54°/36°F (12.4°/2.4°C) |
| Mar | 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C) | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.8°C) |
| Apr | 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C) | 73°/53°F (22.7°/11.6°C) |
| May | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C) | 80°/62°F (26.8°/16.4°C) |
| Jun | 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C) | 88°/69°F (31.2°/20.7°C) |
| Jul | 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C) | 92°/72°F (33.3°/22.2°C) |
| Sep | 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C) | 84°/65°F (29.1°/18.1°C) |
| Oct | 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C) | 73°/54°F (23.0°/12.3°C) |
| Nov | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C) | 62°/44°F (16.5°/6.6°C) |
| Dec | 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C) | 51°/35°F (10.7°/1.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arkansas than Texas?
Yes — Arkansas is on average about 10% cheaper than Texas. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Arkansas?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $16,850 in Arkansas on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Arkansas safe?
Texas performs better than Arkansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arkansas compared to Texas?
Texas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arkansas leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Arkansas compared to Texas?
The average high temperature in Little Rock is 72°F, compared to 79°F in Austin. Little Rock receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Austin gets 36.2 in.
