Cost of Living in Little Rock, AR, United States

Updated On July 18, 2023

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Little Rock, AR?

Little Rock is Arkansas‘s largest city, as well as the state capital and major economic center wherein lies its entire importance.

The cost of living in this huge city is lower than most state capitals.

It’s known for having wonderful and welcoming people and great places to eat and shop.

There’s a lot to do in Little Rock: it offers many museums, malls, and beautiful natural attractions but many people claim that the best thing by far about living in Little Rock are your neighbors and the people you meet.

Cost of Living Index:
74.2
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

The downtown area, specifically the River Market District is loaded with good food and great craft beer.

There, you’ll find many little barbecue joints, pizza parlors, etc.

Depending on where you’re going, you can either save a lot of money or pay a little more if you wander off to a more touristy restaurant.

Regular chain fast food restaurants offer really cheap food.

Markets

MARKETS

If you’re super smart about your groceries, you can save a huge chunk of money by sticking to the supermarkets instead of eating out.

Most basic ingredients cost around a dollar but if you want to save money you should remain thrifty when grocery shopping.

Fresh produce can get a bit expensive when it’s imported.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

If you’d like to see more than Downtown Little Rock, a car is your best option.

Bus service exists and the city bus travels city-wide.

One-way fare is $1.68 for adults or $1.40 with a transfer.

Little Rock has a large population of cyclists so you can also move through the town and not pay anything!

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are reasonably priced in Little Rock.

Those living in a bit bigger apartments (like 85m2) will have to pay bills for all basic utilities like electricity, water, heating, and cooling, which cost around 240$.

Internet is as expensive as in most of the U.S., amounting to around 67$ a month.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

There are lots of great walking/biking trails if you want to avoid gyms, but actually, gyms are very cheap in this city!

If you want to become a member of a fitness club or a gym in this city, your monthly fee will be around 26$.

If you want to watch a movie here, expect it to cost around 12$.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

Little Rock offers some great shopping opportunities.

Shopping for clothes in this city is as expensive as you would expect it to be in an American city – which means everything is reasonably priced.

Usually, jeans of good quality cost around 47$, quality sneakers around 62$, while lighter pieces of clothing are around 36$.

Watch out for the discounts!

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

Though many aspects of living in Little Rock can get a bit pricey, rent isn’t one of those things.

In this city, you can actually find a very decent apartment for just below 1,023.00$ – which by American standards is pretty low.

Of course, if you’re looking for a bigger apartment for the whole family, the prices will go up – to around 1,866.67$ to be exact.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Little Rock, AR

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$17.50
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$5.00
Water (0.33 Liter)$2.00
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$1.06
Loaf Bread (500g)$3.70
Eggs (12)$3.71
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$1.68
Monthly Pass$36.0
Gasoline$0.80
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$239.13
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.10
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$66.96
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$26.67
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$21.91
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$12.00
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$47.50
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$36.75
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$62.50
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$1023.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$775.0
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$1866.67

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Little Rock, AR?

Food is a very expensive aspect of living anywhere, so it only makes sense that the percentage spent on it is not too far from the percentage spent on rent

In Little Rock, though food is definitely the biggest expense for the citizens, rent, however cheap it is, still represents a significant financial burden.

Transportation and restaurants take up the next chunk of expenses on the list, since they are also pretty costly, given the fact that even the inexpensive restaurants don’t serve food for less than 15$.

As anywhere else in America, the least amount of money gets spent on clothing, shoes, and accessories.

Average Costs Breakdown

15.8%
31.7%
8.5%
10.5%
4.4%
1.9%
27.1%

Little Rock, AR: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

Salaries in Little Rock are very high compared to a huge part of the world, but not that high considering the general paychecks in America.

Also, the general standard of living in Arkansas is high – a typical standard of America as a whole.

Still, with a minimum wage reaching above 1900$, a citizen of Little Rock can live in this country and cover all their expenses.

However, those that are renting have a harder time paying the bills and their monthly rent, but it is possible.

The average salary is well above 3900$ so an average citizen of Little Rock should have no problems living here, considering expenses in this city.

Average Salary$3992.22
Minimum Wage$1924.00
Mortgage Interest Rate6.70%

Little Rock Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Little Rock Safety Review

Safety Index:
32
  • OVERALL RISK: HIGH
  • TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
  • PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
  • NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
  • MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
  • TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
  • SCAMS RISK: LOW
  • WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM

Cost of Living by City in Little Rock, AR

CityCost of Living Index
Albany, NY72.4
Albuquerque, NM72.4
Anchorage, AK72.4
Ann Arbor, MI72.4
Arlington, TX72.4
Asheville, NC72.4
Atlanta, GA72.4
Austin, TX72.4
Bakersfield, CA72.4
Baltimore, MD72.4
Bellevue, WA72.4
Bellingham, WA72.4
Berkeley, CA72.4
Birmingham, AL72.4
Boise, ID72.4
Boston, MA72.4
Boulder, CO72.4
Brooklyn, NY72.4
Buffalo, NY72.4
Burlington, VT72.4
Charleston, SC72.4
Charlotte, NC73.33
Chattanooga, TN72.4
Chicago, IL72.4
Cincinnati, OH72.4
Cleveland, OH72.4
Columbia, SC72.4
Columbus, OH72.4
Dallas, TX72.4
Dayton, OH72.4
Denver, CO72.4
Des Moines, IA72.4
Detroit, MI72.4
El Paso, TX72.4
Eugene, OR72.4
Everett, WA72.4
Fayetteville, AR72.4
Fort Myers, FL72.4
Fort Wayne, IN72.4
Fort Worth, TX72.4
Fresno, CA74.2
Gainesville, FL74.2
Grand Rapids, MI74.2
Greensboro, NC74.2
Hartford, CT74.2
Honolulu, HI74.2
Houston, TX74.2
Huntsville, AL74.2
Indianapolis, IN74.2
Irvine, CA74.2
Jacksonville, FL74.2
Jersey City, NJ74.2
Kansas City, MO74.2
Knoxville, TN74.2
Las Vegas, NV74.2
Lexington, KY74.2
Long Beach, CA74.2
Los Angeles, CA74.2
Louisville, KY74.2
Lubbock, TX74.2
Madison, WI74.2
Memphis, TN74.2
Miami, FL74.2
Milwaukee, WI74.2
Minneapolis, MN74.2
Nashville, TN74.2
New Orleans, LA74.2
New York, NY74.2
Oakland, CA74.2
Oklahoma City, OK74.2
Olympia, WA74.2
Orlando, FL74.2
Peoria, IL72.4
Philadelphia, PA72.4
Phoenix, AZ72.4
Pittsburgh, PA72.4
Portland, ME72.4
Portland, OR72.4
Raleigh, NC72.4
Reno, NV72.4
Richmond, VA74.2
Rochester, NY74.2
Sacramento, CA74.2
Saint Louis, MO74.2
Saint Paul, MN74.2
Saint Petersburg, FL74.2
Salem, OR74.2
Salt Lake City, UT74.2
San Antonio, TX74.2
San Diego, CA74.2
San Francisco, CA74.2
San Jose, CA74.2
Santa Barbara, CA74.2
Santa Rosa, CA74.2
Seattle, WA74.2
Spokane, WA74.2
Springfield, MO74.2
Syracuse, NY74.2
Tacoma, WA74.2
Tallahassee, FL74.2
Tampa, FL74.2
Toledo, OH74.2
Tucson, AZ74.2
Tulsa, OK74.2
Vancouver, WA74.2
Virginia Beach, VA74.2
Washington, DC74.2
West Palm Beach, FL74.2
Wichita, KS74.2

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