SalaryCompareTool

Austin, TX vs Fort Smith, AR

Moving from Austin to Fort Smith? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($428,524 → $205,554 median home) and taxes.

Austin vs Fort Smith at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Austin, TX Fort Smith, AR Cost-of-living index Austin, TX — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Fort Smith, AR — Cost-of-living index: 85 85 Median home price Austin, TX — Median home price: $429k $429k Fort Smith, AR — Median home price: $206k $206k Price per sqft Austin, TX — Price per sqft: $204 $204 Fort Smith, AR — Price per sqft: $103 $103 Median rent Austin, TX — Median rent: $1,635 $1,635 Fort Smith, AR — Median rent: $1,021 $1,021 Combined sales tax Austin, TX — Combined sales tax: 8.2% 8.2% Fort Smith, AR — Combined sales tax: 9.5% 9.5% Property tax rate Austin, TX — Property tax rate: 1.71% 1.71% Fort Smith, AR — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Austin, TX — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Fort Smith, AR — Violent crime /100k: 640 640 Electricity ¢/kWh Austin, TX — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.0 17.0 Fort Smith, AR — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.2 14.2 Avg commute (min) Austin, TX — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Fort Smith, AR — Avg commute (min): 22 22 Avg summer high °F Austin, TX — Avg summer high °F: 96° 96° Fort Smith, AR — Avg summer high °F: 93° 93° Avg winter low °F Austin, TX — Avg winter low °F: 38° 38° Fort Smith, AR — Avg winter low °F: 30° 30°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Austin, TX, you'd need about $86,808 in Fort Smith, AR (−$13,192).

Livability — Austin, TX: 70 · Fort Smith, AR: 73 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,450 sqft in Austin vs 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith ($204 vs $103 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryAustin, TXFort Smith, ARDifference
Housing $19,620 $12,252 −$7,368
Groceries $4,647 $4,657 +$10
Transportation $3,675 $3,405 −$270
Utilities $1,836 $1,524 −$312
Insurance $3,600 $2,800 −$800
Taxes $9,558 $8,127 −$1,431
Total $42,936 $32,764 −$10,171

Side by side

MetricAustin, TXFort Smith, AR
Cost-of-living index98.385.3
Unemployment rate4.30%5.23%
Population growth (5-yr)14.8%-12.6%
Air quality (median AQI)5244
Big Mac price (est.)$5.59$4.85
Median home price$428,524$205,554
Home price ÷ income4.6×3.9×
1-yr home appreciation-6.0%4.6%
Price per square foot$204$103
Median rent$1,635$1,021
Total tax burden (% income)8.6%10.2%
Combined sales tax8.20%9.47%
Capital gains taxNone3.90%
Property tax rate1.71%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$9,500$7,500
Vehicle property taxNone1.02%
Avg commute (min)2722
Home insurance / yr$3,600$2,800
Auto insurance / yr$2,100$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$900$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$350
Electricity ¢/kWh17.014.2
Gas $/gal3.002.95
Violent crime /100k430640
Avg summer high °F9693
Avg winter low °F3830
Permit difficulty (1–5)22
Moving to Fort Smith?
Compare moving company quotes →
Financing a home in Fort Smith?
See today's mortgage rates →

Ad · affiliate links

Austin details → Fort Smith details → Reverse: Fort Smith vs Austin →