Compare / Little Rock to Rochester
Little Rock, AR vs Rochester, NY
Simple answer
You'd likely save $295 a month in Little Rock.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 19.2 points (Little Rock 68.3, Rochester 87.5).
Arkansas taxes wages at rates up to 3.90%. New York taxes wages at rates up to 10.90%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.9 percentage points, higher in Arkansas. The effective property tax gap is 0.94 percentage points, higher in New York.
After a move from Arkansas to New York, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Little Rock lines up with about $81,438 in Rochester on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Little Rock
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,121
- HUD area
- Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,093
- All-items price parity
- 89.4
- Goods price parity
- 93.6
- Utilities price parity
- 74.6
- Mean commute
- 23.2 min
- Median household income
- $68,344
Rochester
Rochester, NY
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,416
- HUD area
- Rochester, NY MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,172
- All-items price parity
- 97.0
- Goods price parity
- 99.7
- Utilities price parity
- 133.2
- Mean commute
- 20.8 min
- Median household income
- $76,453
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$81,438
Salary in Rochester that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$86,042
Gross salary in Rochester whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$94,737
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Arkansas | New York |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 3.90% | up to 10.90% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 9.5% | 8.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.52% | 1.45% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,065 a year in Arkansas and $5,818 in New York. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in New York
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Arkansas and once in New York. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
Little RockLikely eligible
RochesterLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
Little RockLikely eligible
RochesterLikely eligible
WIC
Little RockLikely eligible
RochesterLikely eligible
School meals
Little RockLikely eligible
RochesterLikely eligible
LIHEAP
Little RockMaybe
RochesterMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
Little RockLikely eligible
RochesterLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
Little RockLikely eligible
RochesterLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
Little RockUnlikely
RochesterUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
Little RockLikely eligible
RochesterLikely eligible
SSI
Little RockUnlikely
RochesterUnlikely
| Program | Little Rock | Rochester |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Little Rock
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Little Rock.
- Little Rock and San Francisco · rent gap $2,576
- Little Rock and San Jose · rent gap $2,151
- Little Rock and Boston · rent gap $1,887
- Little Rock and New York · rent gap $1,850
- Little Rock and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,843
- Little Rock and San Diego · rent gap $1,702
- Little Rock and Miami · rent gap $1,443
- Little Rock and Seattle · rent gap $1,428
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.