SalaryCompareTool

Baltimore, MD vs Fort Smith, AR

Moving from Baltimore to Fort Smith? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $205,554 median home) and taxes.

Baltimore vs Fort Smith at a glance

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

Baltimore, MD Fort Smith, AR Cost-of-living index Baltimore, MD — Cost-of-living index: 103 103 Fort Smith, AR — Cost-of-living index: 85 85 Median home price Baltimore, MD — Median home price: $406k $406k Fort Smith, AR — Median home price: $206k $206k Price per sqft Baltimore, MD — Price per sqft: $214 $214 Fort Smith, AR — Price per sqft: $103 $103 Median rent Baltimore, MD — Median rent: $1,919 $1,919 Fort Smith, AR — Median rent: $1,021 $1,021 Combined sales tax Baltimore, MD — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Fort Smith, AR — Combined sales tax: 9.5% 9.5% Property tax rate Baltimore, MD — Property tax rate: 1.04% 1.04% Fort Smith, AR — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Baltimore, MD — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Fort Smith, AR — Violent crime /100k: 640 640 Electricity ¢/kWh Baltimore, MD — Electricity ¢/kWh: 22.1 22.1 Fort Smith, AR — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.2 14.2 Avg commute (min) Baltimore, MD — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Fort Smith, AR — Avg commute (min): 22 22 Avg summer high °F Baltimore, MD — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Fort Smith, AR — Avg summer high °F: 93° 93° Avg winter low °F Baltimore, MD — Avg winter low °F: 27° 27° Fort Smith, AR — Avg winter low °F: 30° 30°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Baltimore, MD, you'd need about $82,679 in Fort Smith, AR (−$17,321).

Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Fort Smith, AR: 73 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith ($214 vs $103 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBaltimore, MDFort Smith, ARDifference
Housing $23,028 $12,252 −$10,776
Groceries $5,075 $4,657 −$418
Transportation $3,685 $3,405 −$280
Utilities $2,388 $1,524 −$864
Insurance $1,400 $2,800 +$1,400
Taxes $11,584 $8,127 −$3,457
Total $47,160 $32,764 −$14,396

Side by side

MetricBaltimore, MDFort Smith, AR
Cost-of-living index103.285.3
Unemployment rate4.86%5.23%
Population growth (5-yr)1.7%-12.6%
Air quality (median AQI)4744
Big Mac price (est.)$5.87$4.85
Median home price$405,877$205,554
Home price ÷ income4.3×3.9×
1-yr home appreciation0.8%4.6%
Price per square foot$214$103
Median rent$1,919$1,021
Total tax burden (% income)11.3%10.2%
Combined sales tax6.00%9.47%
Capital gains tax5.75%3.90%
Property tax rate1.04%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$7,200$6,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$7,500
Vehicle property taxNone1.02%
Avg commute (min)3022
Home insurance / yr$1,400$2,800
Auto insurance / yr$1,900$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$750$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$350
Electricity ¢/kWh22.114.2
Gas $/gal3.302.95
Violent crime /100k450640
Avg summer high °F8893
Avg winter low °F2730
Permit difficulty (1–5)42
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