Cost of living in Salem, Arkansas

Salem, Arkansas has about 2,642 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $202,100.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Saline County is $1,121 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Salem. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area, prices sit at 89.4 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 Salem'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 Salem'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.