Cost of living in Charleston, Arkansas

Charleston, Arkansas has about 2,646 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $156,300.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Franklin County is $909 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Charleston. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Arkansas's prices sit at 86.9 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Arkansas taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Charleston's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Arkansas home paid 14.33¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Charleston's bill.

EIA does not publish a Arkansas gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) all-grades price was $3.954 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,897.92 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Arkansas shares this price.

Among 199 places we list in Arkansas with a rent figure, 117 have higher typical rent than Charleston.