Moving to Arkansas
New residents have 30 days to get an Arkansas driver license and must register a car within 30 days. Prices are 13.1% below the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $3,687 in Arkansas income tax. 36,997 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from Texas and Missouri.
New resident checklist for Arkansas
Driver license
Get an Arkansas driver license within 30 days of becoming a resident at a DFA Revenue (DMV) office. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Arkansas address.
Vehicle title and registration
Title and register within 30 days of becoming an Arkansas resident. Bring your out-of-state title, an odometer statement and proof of insurance; the county also requires a property tax assessment and proof of paid personal property tax. No emissions or safety inspection is required. Switch your auto insurance to an Arkansas policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: No new-resident fee. Arkansas vehicle sales tax is 6.5% (3.5% on used vehicles priced $4,000-$9,999; none under $4,000). Ask the DFA whether it applies to a vehicle you already own before you register.
Annual registration: Flat by weight for passenger cars: $17 (3,000 lb or less), $25 (3,001-4,500 lb), $30 (over 4,500 lb) plus $2.50 decal fee, plus annual county personal property tax.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $200.
Establishing residency
You are a resident once you live in Arkansas and intend to stay; the 30-day clock starts on becoming a resident. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Arkansas
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Make sure your employer withholds Arkansas income tax from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,568 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: dfa.arkansas.gov. Sources: portal.arkansas.gov, dfa.arkansas.gov (2), dfa.arkansas.gov (3), dfa.arkansas.gov (4). Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Arkansas motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Arkansas
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Arkansas.
Equal salary in AR: $73,600
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $73,600 in Arkansas to match $80,000 in Texas ($6,400 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $80,000 | Texas | Arkansas |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $8,770 | $8,770 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,120 | $6,120 |
| State income tax | $0 | $2,585 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $65,110 | $62,525 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Arkansas: Texas to Arkansas, Missouri to Arkansas, Oklahoma to Arkansas, California to Arkansas, Tennessee to Arkansas and Florida to Arkansas.
Living in Arkansas: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Arkansas is in the best 10 for overall prices, cost to own a home and rent, and in the worst 10 for household income and health premiums.
- Median rent
- $982/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $1,365/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $75,493 $414 more than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 0.52% median $1,113/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 76.4 of 100 Above average for U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 36,997 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Arkansas
How Arkansas ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Arkansas ranks best
- Top 5 Lowest overall prices: price level 86.9 (U.S. = 100, BEA 2024), the lowest of 51.
- Top 5 Lowest cost to own a home: $1,365 a month for the median home with 20% down, 3rd lowest of 51.
- Top 5 Lowest rent: $982 a month at the median (Census ACS 2024), 4th lowest of 51.
Where Arkansas ranks worst
- Bottom 5 Lowest household incomes: $62,106 median household income (Census ACS 2024), 4th lowest of 51.
- Bottom 10 Highest Marketplace health premiums: $774 a month for a benchmark plan at age 40, before subsidies (KFF 2026), 7th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Arkansas residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 36,997 households filed their taxes in Arkansas after filing in another state the year before. Texas sent the most, 7,451 households (20% of the total). Arkansas gained a net 5,269 households from other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Arkansas from other states peaked in 2021–22 at 37,684 households, then held roughly steady to 36,997 in 2022–23, up 25% from 2018–19. Arkansas gained households from other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 +297, 2019–20 +3,940, 2020–21 +6,627, 2021–22 +6,222, 2022–23 +5,269.
Cost of living in Arkansas vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Arkansas are 13.1% below the U.S. average, the cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in housing (58.2), 42% below the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $129/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $1,051/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $774/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Arkansas: take-home pay at three incomes
Arkansas taxes wages. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | AR income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,415 | $40,940 | +$162 |
| $100,000 | $3,687 | $75,493 | +$414 |
| $150,000 | $5,637 | $108,154 | +$567 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Arkansas income taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 6.5% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $1,113 a year in property tax, 0.52% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Arkansas taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Arkansas: where a paycheck goes furthest
Of the 2 Arkansas metro areas we cover, Little Rock is the best value: about $68,800 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax. Fayetteville takes the most, $70,600.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | $68,800 | 89.4 | $1,093 | $237,300 |
| Fayetteville | $70,600 | 91.4 | $1,222 | $362,500 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Parts of Arkansas also belong to the Memphis metro area, which is centered outside Arkansas.
Housing and home insurance in Arkansas
| Measure | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $982 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $215,600 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,365 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $58,506 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $1,113 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,568 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Arkansas for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Arkansas
Arkansas's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 76.4 of 100, above average for U.S. counties and 17th safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $588 per resident a year, and about 13% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Arkansas county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Arkansas come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 36,997 households moved to Arkansas from other states. The most came from Texas (7,451 households), Missouri (3,265) and Oklahoma (2,953).
What are the pros and cons of living in Arkansas?
Where Arkansas ranks best among the 50 states and D.C.: lowest overall prices, the lowest of 51; lowest cost to own a home, 3rd lowest of 51; lowest rent, 4th lowest of 51. Where it ranks worst: lowest household incomes, 4th lowest of 51; highest Marketplace health premiums, 7th highest of 51.
Is Arkansas expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Arkansas are 13.1% below the U.S. average (BEA price level 86.9, 2024), the cheapest of 51. Median rent is $982 a month and the median home is worth $215,600.
How long do I have to get an Arkansas driver license after moving?
30 days after becoming a resident. Get an Arkansas driver license within 30 days of becoming a resident at a DFA Revenue (DMV) office.
How long do I have to register my car in Arkansas?
30 days. Title and register within 30 days of becoming an Arkansas resident. Bring your out-of-state title, an odometer statement and proof of insurance; the county also requires a property tax assessment and proof of paid personal property tax. No emissions or safety inspection is required.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Arkansas?
No new-resident fee. Arkansas vehicle sales tax is 6.5% (3.5% on used vehicles priced $4,000-$9,999; none under $4,000). Ask the DFA whether it applies to a vehicle you already own before you register.
What makes me an Arkansas resident?
You are a resident once you live in Arkansas and intend to stay; the 30-day clock starts on becoming a resident.