SalaryCompareTool

Dallas, TX vs Fort Smith, AR

Moving from Dallas to Fort Smith? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($366,823 → $205,554 median home) and taxes.

Dallas vs Fort Smith at a glance

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

Dallas, TX Fort Smith, AR Cost-of-living index Dallas, TX — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Fort Smith, AR — Cost-of-living index: 85 85 Median home price Dallas, TX — Median home price: $367k $367k Fort Smith, AR — Median home price: $206k $206k Price per sqft Dallas, TX — Price per sqft: $175 $175 Fort Smith, AR — Price per sqft: $103 $103 Median rent Dallas, TX — Median rent: $1,678 $1,678 Fort Smith, AR — Median rent: $1,021 $1,021 Combined sales tax Dallas, TX — Combined sales tax: 8.2% 8.2% Fort Smith, AR — Combined sales tax: 9.5% 9.5% Property tax rate Dallas, TX — Property tax rate: 1.76% 1.76% Fort Smith, AR — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Dallas, TX — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Fort Smith, AR — Violent crime /100k: 640 640 Electricity ¢/kWh Dallas, TX — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.0 17.0 Fort Smith, AR — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.2 14.2 Avg commute (min) Dallas, TX — Avg commute (min): 28 28 Fort Smith, AR — Avg commute (min): 22 22 Avg summer high °F Dallas, TX — Avg summer high °F: 96° 96° Fort Smith, AR — Avg summer high °F: 93° 93° Avg winter low °F Dallas, 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 Dallas, TX, you'd need about $83,238 in Fort Smith, AR (−$16,762).

Livability — Dallas, TX: 67 · Fort Smith, AR: 73 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,862 sqft in Dallas vs 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith ($175 vs $103 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryDallas, TXFort Smith, ARDifference
Housing $20,136 $12,252 −$7,884
Groceries $5,182 $4,657 −$525
Transportation $3,675 $3,405 −$270
Utilities $1,836 $1,524 −$312
Insurance $3,600 $2,800 −$800
Taxes $8,136 $8,127 −$9
Total $42,565 $32,764 −$9,801

Side by side

MetricDallas, TXFort Smith, AR
Cost-of-living index102.585.3
Unemployment rate4.62%5.23%
Population growth (5-yr)8.0%-12.6%
Air quality (median AQI)5944
Big Mac price (est.)$5.83$4.85
Median home price$366,823$205,554
Home price ÷ income4.4×3.9×
1-yr home appreciation-3.3%4.6%
Price per square foot$175$103
Median rent$1,678$1,021
Total tax burden (% income)8.6%10.2%
Combined sales tax8.20%9.47%
Capital gains taxNone3.90%
Property tax rate1.76%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$9,500$7,500
Vehicle property taxNone1.02%
Avg commute (min)2822
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

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