Fort Smith, AR vs Providence, RI
Moving from Fort Smith to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($205,554 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Fort Smith vs Providence at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Fort Smith, AR, you'd need about $118,989 in Providence, RI (+$18,989).
Livability — Fort Smith, AR: 73 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($103 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fort Smith, AR | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $12,252 | $25,956 | +$13,704 |
| Groceries | $4,657 | $4,922 | +$265 |
| Transportation | $3,405 | $3,875 | +$470 |
| Utilities | $1,524 | $3,060 | +$1,536 |
| Insurance | $2,800 | $1,700 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $8,127 | $13,121 | +$4,995 |
| Total | $32,764 | $52,634 | +$19,869 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fort Smith, AR | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 85.3 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.23% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -12.6% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.85 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $205,554 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $103 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,021 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.47% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.90% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.62% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,000 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $7,500 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.02% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.2 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $62 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 640 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 93 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 49.0 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 8.0 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 60% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |