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Fort Smith, AR vs San Diego, CA

Moving from Fort Smith to San Diego? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($205,554 → $946,365 median home) and taxes.

Fort Smith vs San Diego at a glance

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

Fort Smith, AR San Diego, CA Cost-of-living index Fort Smith, AR — Cost-of-living index: 85 85 San Diego, CA — Cost-of-living index: 111 111 Median home price Fort Smith, AR — Median home price: $206k $206k San Diego, CA — Median home price: $946k $946k Price per sqft Fort Smith, AR — Price per sqft: $103 $103 San Diego, CA — Price per sqft: $631 $631 Median rent Fort Smith, AR — Median rent: $1,021 $1,021 San Diego, CA — Median rent: $2,951 $2,951 Combined sales tax Fort Smith, AR — Combined sales tax: 9.5% 9.5% San Diego, CA — Combined sales tax: 8.8% 8.8% Property tax rate Fort Smith, AR — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% San Diego, CA — Property tax rate: 0.72% 0.72% Violent crime /100k Fort Smith, AR — Violent crime /100k: 640 640 San Diego, CA — Violent crime /100k: 500 500 Electricity ¢/kWh Fort Smith, AR — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.2 14.2 San Diego, CA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 35.3 35.3 Avg commute (min) Fort Smith, AR — Avg commute (min): 22 22 San Diego, CA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Fort Smith, AR — Avg summer high °F: 93° 93° San Diego, CA — Avg summer high °F: 84° 84° Avg winter low °F Fort Smith, AR — Avg winter low °F: 30° 30° San Diego, CA — Avg winter low °F: 45° 45°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Fort Smith, AR, you'd need about $129,809 in San Diego, CA (+$29,809).

Livability — Fort Smith, AR: 73 · San Diego, CA: 44 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith vs 793 sqft in San Diego ($103 vs $631 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryFort Smith, ARSan Diego, CADifference
Housing $12,252 $35,412 +$23,160
Groceries $4,657 $5,112 +$456
Transportation $3,405 $5,125 +$1,720
Utilities $1,524 $3,804 +$2,280
Insurance $2,800 $1,500 −$1,300
Taxes $8,127 $21,601 +$13,475
Total $32,764 $72,554 +$39,790

Side by side

MetricFort Smith, ARSan Diego, CA
Cost-of-living index85.3110.7
Unemployment rate5.23%6.34%
Population growth (5-yr)-12.6%0.2%
Air quality (median AQI)4471
Big Mac price (est.)$4.85$6.30
Median home price$205,554$946,365
Home price ÷ income3.9×9.8×
1-yr home appreciation4.6%-1.1%
Price per square foot$103$631
Median rent$1,021$2,951
Total tax burden (% income)10.2%13.5%
Combined sales tax9.47%8.82%
Capital gains tax3.90%13.30%
Property tax rate0.62%0.72%
Healthcare (annual)$6,000$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$7,500$19,000
Vehicle property tax1.02%0.65%
Avg commute (min)2226
Home insurance / yr$2,800$1,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,900$2,400
Flood insurance / yr$750$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$350$950
Electricity ¢/kWh14.235.3
Gas $/gal2.954.85
Violent crime /100k640500
Avg summer high °F9384
Avg winter low °F3045
Permit difficulty (1–5)25
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