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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Simple answer

Typical rent is $884 a month.

Fort Smith is a city in Arkansas. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $54,816 a year.

Is Fort Smith affordable?See benefits in Fort Smith
People
89,805
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$884
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$54,816
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$178,100
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$979
Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA

Fort Smith, Arkansas has about 89,805 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $178,100.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Sebastian County is $979 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Fort Smith. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, prices sit at 85.9 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

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

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Arkansas in the table we use.

Among 199 places we list in Arkansas with a rent figure, 72 have higher typical rent than Fort Smith.

Nearby places

EBT nearby

USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.

Find SNAP stores near Fort SmithWhat EBT can buy in Arkansas

Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.

Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Arkansas

Bigger places in Arkansas

Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.