SalaryCompareTool

Seattle, WA vs Fort Smith, AR

Moving from Seattle to Fort Smith? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($750,279 → $205,554 median home) and taxes.

Seattle vs Fort Smith at a glance

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

Seattle, WA Fort Smith, AR Cost-of-living index Seattle, WA — Cost-of-living index: 113 113 Fort Smith, AR — Cost-of-living index: 85 85 Median home price Seattle, WA — Median home price: $750k $750k Fort Smith, AR — Median home price: $206k $206k Price per sqft Seattle, WA — Price per sqft: $417 $417 Fort Smith, AR — Price per sqft: $103 $103 Median rent Seattle, WA — Median rent: $2,232 $2,232 Fort Smith, AR — Median rent: $1,021 $1,021 Combined sales tax Seattle, WA — Combined sales tax: 9.4% 9.4% Fort Smith, AR — Combined sales tax: 9.5% 9.5% Property tax rate Seattle, WA — Property tax rate: 0.88% 0.88% Fort Smith, AR — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Seattle, WA — Violent crime /100k: 375 375 Fort Smith, AR — Violent crime /100k: 640 640 Electricity ¢/kWh Seattle, WA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Fort Smith, AR — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.2 14.2 Avg commute (min) Seattle, WA — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Fort Smith, AR — Avg commute (min): 22 22 Avg summer high °F Seattle, WA — Avg summer high °F: 76° 76° Fort Smith, AR — Avg summer high °F: 93° 93° Avg winter low °F Seattle, WA — Avg winter low °F: 37° 37° Fort Smith, AR — Avg winter low °F: 30° 30°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Seattle, WA, you'd need about $75,677 in Fort Smith, AR (−$24,323).

Livability — Seattle, WA: 48 · Fort Smith, AR: 73 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,200 sqft in Seattle vs 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith ($417 vs $103 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategorySeattle, WAFort Smith, ARDifference
Housing $26,784 $12,252 −$14,532
Groceries $5,405 $4,657 −$748
Transportation $4,075 $3,405 −$670
Utilities $1,548 $1,524 −$24
Insurance $1,500 $2,800 +$1,300
Taxes $8,826 $8,127 −$699
Total $48,138 $32,764 −$15,374

Side by side

MetricSeattle, WAFort Smith, AR
Cost-of-living index112.785.3
Unemployment rate4.59%5.23%
Population growth (5-yr)7.1%-12.6%
Air quality (median AQI)4744
Big Mac price (est.)$6.41$4.85
Median home price$750,279$205,554
Home price ÷ income7.0×3.9×
1-yr home appreciation-1.9%4.6%
Price per square foot$417$103
Median rent$2,232$1,021
Total tax burden (% income)10.7%10.2%
Combined sales tax9.38%9.47%
Capital gains tax7.00%3.90%
Property tax rate0.88%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$6,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$7,500
Vehicle property taxNone1.02%
Avg commute (min)3022
Home insurance / yr$1,500$2,800
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$700$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$700$350
Electricity ¢/kWh14.414.2
Gas $/gal4.552.95
Violent crime /100k375640
Avg summer high °F7693
Avg winter low °F3730
Permit difficulty (1–5)52

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