Phoenix, AZ vs Fayetteville, AR
Moving from Phoenix to Fayetteville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $368,497 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Fayetteville 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $87,365 in Fayetteville, AR (−$12,635).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Fayetteville, AR: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,714 sqft in Fayetteville ($242 vs $184 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Fayetteville, AR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $19,128 | −$1,776 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,655 | −$264 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,405 | −$555 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,524 | −$144 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,800 | +$1,000 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $8,682 | +$1,402 |
| Total | $40,531 | $40,193 | −$338 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Fayetteville, AR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 91.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 3.55% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $368,497 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $184 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,594 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 10.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 9.47% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 3.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.60% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $7,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 1.02% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 14.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 640 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 93 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |