City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Detroit | Fort Smith | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $989/mo | $798/mo | 23.9% higher in A |
| Median home value | $66,700 | $155,600 | 57.1% lower in A |
| Median household income | $37,761 | $50,799 | 25.7% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 100.9 | 98.7 | 2.3% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 70.6 | 94.8 | 25.6% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 103.5 | 100.5 | 2.9% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 111.1 | 94.8 | 17.3% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Detroit, you'd need $80,679 in Fort Smith to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Fort Smith, AR is about 19.3% cheaper overall than Detroit, MI, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 19% lower in Fort Smith than in Detroit. If you earn $80,000 in Detroit, you'd need about $64,544 in Fort Smith to keep the same standard of living.