Cost of living in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas has about 8,935 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $73,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Phillips County is $909 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Helena-West Helena. 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 Helena-West Helena'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 Helena-West Helena'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, 114 have higher typical rent than Helena-West Helena.