Moving from New York to Arkansas: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from New York to Arkansas.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from New York to Arkansas
New York has graduated income tax rates up to 10.9% and Arkansas has graduated income tax rates up to 3.9%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 in state income tax in New York and $3,687 in state income tax in Arkansas. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $1,172 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,400 a month across New York's metro areas and $841 across Arkansas's (-40.0%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $59,552 in New York and $44,653 in Arkansas. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between New York & Arkansas
Moving from New York to Arkansas on a $100,000 salary: pay $1,172 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $841 vs $1,400 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $1,172 lower in Arkansas than in New York (1.2 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Arkansas's metros is $841 a month, versus $1,400 in New York (-40.0%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$7,887 a year.
New York: Graduated Brackets, top rate 10.9%. Arkansas: Graduated Brackets, top rate 3.9%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.