Moving from Houston to Little Rock

Moving to Little Rock costs you $371 a month

−$4,452 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Houston leftover

$3,149

a month after tax and rent

Little Rock leftover

$2,778

−$371 vs Houston

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Houston, TX and Little Rock, AR
Per monthHoustonLittle RockDifference
Gross pay$7,958$7,217−$741
Income and payroll tax$1,661$1,705+$44
Take-home pay$6,298$5,512−$785
Rent$1,199$899−$300
Getting around$572$540−$32
Groceries$380$357−$23
Healthcare$428$402−$26
Utilities$238$223−$15
Everything else$333$313−$20
Left over$3,149$2,778−$371

To break even in Little Rock, you'd need to earn

$93,500

Household gross, versus $95,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Houston does now.

The tax difference alone

−$3,165

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.9% in Houston, 23.6% in Little Rock.

More about Little Rock

Houston, TX in full

The cheapest housing of any top-10 metro, paid for in property tax and humidity.

Little Rock, AR in full

State income tax topping out at 3.9%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,070 and 208 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Little Rock on Little Rock wages.

Little RockHouston

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Little Rock than Houston?

A one-bedroom is about $1,199 in Houston versus $899 in Little Rock. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $371 a month lower in Little Rock. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Little Rock have state income tax?

Little Rock is in Arkansas, which taxes wage income.

What changes if you move from Houston to Little Rock?

Take-home pay is recalculated under Arkansas tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.