Moving from San Francisco to Little Rock

You'd keep $400 more a month in Little Rock

+$4,800 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

San Francisco leftover

$2,380

a month after tax and rent

Little Rock leftover

$2,780

+$400 vs San Francisco

Monthly and annual budget comparison between San Francisco, CA and Little Rock, AR
Per monthSan FranciscoLittle RockDifference
Gross pay$10,458$7,219−$3,239
Income and payroll tax$3,056$1,706−$1,350
Take-home pay$7,403$5,514−$1,889
Rent$2,609$899−$1,710
Getting around$558$540−$18
Groceries$512$357−$155
Healthcare$576$402−$174
Utilities$320$223−$97
Everything else$448$313−$135
Left over$2,380$2,780+$400

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

$79,500

Household gross, versus $125,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as San Francisco does now.

The tax difference alone

+$4,533

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 29.2% in San Francisco, 23.6% in Little Rock.

More about Little Rock

San Francisco, CA in full

Dense, walkable, cold in July, and priced for two incomes.

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 RockSan Francisco

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Little Rock than San Francisco?

A one-bedroom is about $2,609 in San Francisco versus $899 in Little Rock. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $400 a month higher 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 San Francisco 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.