Cost of living in Poteau, Oklahoma

Poteau, Oklahoma has about 8,959 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $157,400.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Le Flore County is $916 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Poteau. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Oklahoma's prices sit at 87.8 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.

Oklahoma taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.1% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Poteau's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Oklahoma home paid 14.35¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Poteau's bill.

EIA does not publish a Oklahoma gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Midwest (PADD 2) all-grades price was $4.237 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,033.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Oklahoma shares this price.

Among 220 places we list in Oklahoma with a rent figure, 102 have higher typical rent than Poteau.