SalaryCompareTool

Philadelphia, PA vs Fort Smith, AR

Moving from Philadelphia to Fort Smith? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,463 → $205,554 median home) and taxes.

Philadelphia vs Fort Smith at a glance

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

Philadelphia, PA Fort Smith, AR Cost-of-living index Philadelphia, PA — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Fort Smith, AR — Cost-of-living index: 85 85 Median home price Philadelphia, PA — Median home price: $390k $390k Fort Smith, AR — Median home price: $206k $206k Price per sqft Philadelphia, PA — Price per sqft: $223 $223 Fort Smith, AR — Price per sqft: $103 $103 Median rent Philadelphia, PA — Median rent: $1,914 $1,914 Fort Smith, AR — Median rent: $1,021 $1,021 Combined sales tax Philadelphia, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Fort Smith, AR — Combined sales tax: 9.5% 9.5% Property tax rate Philadelphia, PA — Property tax rate: 1.61% 1.61% Fort Smith, AR — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Philadelphia, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 Fort Smith, AR — Violent crime /100k: 640 640 Electricity ¢/kWh Philadelphia, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 Fort Smith, AR — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.2 14.2 Avg commute (min) Philadelphia, PA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 Fort Smith, AR — Avg commute (min): 22 22 Avg summer high °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Fort Smith, AR — Avg summer high °F: 93° 93° Avg winter low °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Fort Smith, AR — Avg winter low °F: 30° 30°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Philadelphia, PA, you'd need about $83,342 in Fort Smith, AR (−$16,658).

Livability — Philadelphia, PA: 62 · Fort Smith, AR: 73 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia vs 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith ($223 vs $103 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryPhiladelphia, PAFort Smith, ARDifference
Housing $22,968 $12,252 −$10,716
Groceries $4,909 $4,657 −$252
Transportation $3,440 $3,405 −$35
Utilities $2,316 $1,524 −$792
Insurance $1,200 $2,800 +$1,600
Taxes $10,192 $8,127 −$2,065
Total $45,025 $32,764 −$12,261

Side by side

MetricPhiladelphia, PAFort Smith, AR
Cost-of-living index102.485.3
Unemployment rate6.12%5.23%
Population growth (5-yr)2.8%-12.6%
Air quality (median AQI)5344
Big Mac price (est.)$5.82$4.85
Median home price$390,463$205,554
Home price ÷ income4.6×3.9×
1-yr home appreciation2.5%4.6%
Price per square foot$223$103
Median rent$1,914$1,021
Total tax burden (% income)10.6%10.2%
Combined sales tax6.34%9.47%
Capital gains tax3.07%3.90%
Property tax rate1.61%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$7,000$6,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$7,500
Vehicle property taxNone1.02%
Avg commute (min)2922
Home insurance / yr$1,200$2,800
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$650$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$350
Electricity ¢/kWh21.514.2
Gas $/gal3.552.95
Violent crime /100k390640
Avg summer high °F8593
Avg winter low °F2230
Permit difficulty (1–5)32

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