Moving from Mississippi 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 Mississippi and Arkansas, side by side.
Moving to Arkansas costs about
About the same
Mississippi and Arkansas work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Groceries, gas & goods is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Mississippi to Arkansas, groceries, gas & goods moves the most: about $48 a month less, which is most of the whole difference.
Mississippi vs Arkansas at a glance
| Mississippi | Arkansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $169,800 | $188,000 |
| Median rent | $954/mo | $947/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 4.00% | Up to 3.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 0.55% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 94 |
| Utilities | 78 | 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 | MS | AR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $954 | $947 | -$7 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $206 | $245 | +$39 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $100 | $91 | -$9 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,764 | $1,716 | -$48 |
| Utilities | $320 | $305 | -$15 |
| Total | -$40 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,400 to $3,400
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $350 to $600, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Jackson is not Mississippi-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.