State comparison
Arkansas vs Missouri: which state is better to live in?
Arkansas costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Missouri, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,170 a year against $2,112 in Missouri.
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 7 categories
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Arkansas vs Missouri
Arkansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.9%, which works out to 3.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,680 a year. Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,325 a year. Arkansas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.60% of home value a year in Arkansas and 0.88% in Missouri (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,170 against $2,112, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.46% in Arkansas and 8.33% in Missouri; Missouri is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,966 a year in Arkansas, $7,300 in Missouri. Arkansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arkansas's cost of living index is 85 and Missouri's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $195K in Arkansas and $240K in Missouri (Zillow, 2024), a $45K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month in Arkansas and $1,100 in Missouri.
Home insurance averages $2,600 a year in Arkansas and $2,200 in Missouri, so Missouri is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 619 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 581 in Missouri (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Missouri is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 7% lower. Property crime is 2,469 per 100,000 in Arkansas against 2,695 in Missouri, again favoring Arkansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.8 years in Arkansas and 75.3 in Missouri (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.5-year edge for Missouri. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arkansas's health system 44th of 50 and Missouri's 43rd, so Missouri scores better on care.
9.4% of Arkansas residents have no health insurance against 8.2% in Missouri, which favors Missouri. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas's K-12 schools 42nd in the country and Missouri's 33rd, 9 places apart in Missouri's favor. Arkansas runs a school-choice voucher program; Missouri does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points and Missouri went to Trump by 19 points.
Arkansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Missouri has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in Arkansas and legal for adults in Missouri as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.00 an hour in Arkansas and $12.30 in Missouri.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Arkansas (tornado, flood) and high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm). Annual average air quality index is 35 in Arkansas and 38 in Missouri (under 50 is good), favoring Arkansas.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Arkansas
7
Missouri
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arkansas or Missouri better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arkansas on taxes ($5,966 a year for a median household against $7,300); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 86); Missouri on safety (581 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); Missouri on schools (ranked 33rd against 42nd).
Which is cheaper, Arkansas or Missouri?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 86. The median home is $195K in Arkansas and $240K in Missouri (2024). On state and local taxes Arkansas saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does Arkansas or Missouri have lower taxes?
Arkansas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,966 a year in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax) and $7,300 in Missouri ($3,325 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arkansas or Missouri?
Missouri, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 619 per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 581 in Missouri; property crime is 2,469 against 2,695.
Which has better schools, Arkansas or Missouri?
Missouri. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas 42nd of 50 for K-12 and Missouri 33rd. Arkansas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arkansas or Missouri better for retirees?
Arkansas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Missouri taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,170 a year in Arkansas and $2,112 in Missouri.