What salary do you need to live in Fort Smith, AR?

Fort Smith housing costs at a glance

A one-bedroom in Fort Smith rents for a median of $611 a month, utilities the tenant pays included; a two-bedroom goes for $847 and a three-bedroom for $1,064. Over a full year, the two-bedroom median comes to $10,164.

Homeowners in Fort Smith report a median home value of $171,200. That is only 2.9× the area's median household income of $58,468, a low ratio by national standards.

The Regional Price Parity, BEA's index of local prices with the US at 100, is 85.9 here. Below 100 means a paycheck stretches further: $100,000 in Fort Smith has the buying power of roughly $116,431 at national average prices.

Fort Smith: the pre-tax income for each grade

With a two-bedroom at the median rent, the score enters Tight at $18,000, Okay at $39,000 and Comfortable at $78,000 a year before tax. At the Comfortable line, a year of rent takes 13% of income and the median home is 2.2× income.

Reaching Royal takes $202,000 — 2.6× the Comfortable line — because the last points come slowly once rent is already a small share.

These lines come straight from the calculator's formula: the income is raised until the two-bedroom score crosses each cutoff, then rounded up to the next $1,000.

What different incomes look like in Fort Smith

At $75,000, a one-bedroom scores 69 (Comfortable), a two-bedroom 64 (Okay) and a three-bedroom 61 (Okay). The $5,436 a year between the smallest and largest home is what moves the grade.

Of the four salaries, $100,000 is the first where a two-bedroom reads Comfortable or better; $75,000 still lands at Okay.

How Fort Smith ranks among 387 metros

Ranked against all 387 metros, Fort Smith sits 370th on overall price level and 375th on the two-bedroom rent median, counting from the most expensive. Its median home value ranks 348th.

For a sense of scale, the metros just above and below it on two-bedroom rent are Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC ($851) and Wheeling, WV-OH ($846).

Comparing Fort Smith with Arkansas

Compared with Arkansas as a whole, two-bedroom rent in Fort Smith is 7% lower ($847 vs. $907) and the median home is 9% lower ($171,200 vs. $188,000). Parts of the metro lie in Oklahoma, but Fort Smith is in Arkansas, so that is the state used here.

On statewide medians, a two-bedroom budget reaches Comfortable at $86,000 — above Fort Smith's $78,000 line.

Looking for somewhere comparable without leaving Arkansas? Jonesboro, AR, Texarkana, TX-AR, and Hot Springs, AR have the closest mix of rent and overall prices.

Where the typical Fort Smith household lands

The median household in the metro earns $58,468 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 57, Okay. Reaching Comfortable would take $19,532 more than the median household earns. Statewide, the Arkansas median household ($60,773) grades Okay on the state's own medians. A household figure may pool several earners, unlike a single salary.

These are pre-tax estimates from public statistics, not financial advice.