Moving from Iowa to Arkansas
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Iowa and Arkansas, side by side.
Moving to Arkansas costs about
About the same
Iowa and Arkansas work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
State income tax is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Iowa to Arkansas, state income tax moves the most: about $42 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Iowa vs Arkansas at a glance
| Iowa | Arkansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $208,000 | $188,000 |
| Median rent | $972/mo | $947/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.80% | Up to 3.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% | 0.55% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 94 |
| Utilities | 83 | 75 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | IA | AR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $972 | $947 | -$25 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $202 | $245 | +$42 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $7 | None | -$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $84 | $91 | +$7 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,718 | $1,716 | -$2 |
| Utilities | $340 | $305 | -$35 |
| Total | -$20 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,800 to $4,200
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $450 to $650, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Des Moines is not Iowa-average and Little Rock is not Arkansas-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.