State comparison
Arkansas vs Oklahoma: which state is better to live in?
Arkansas costs a median household about $1,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Oklahoma, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,170 a year against $1,828 in Oklahoma.
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 11 categories
Oklahoma
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: Arkansas vs Oklahoma
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. Oklahoma has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.75%, which works out to 4.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,141 a year. Arkansas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.60% of home value a year in Arkansas and 0.85% in Oklahoma (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,170 against $1,828, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.46% in Arkansas and 8.97% in Oklahoma; Oklahoma 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, $6,976 in Oklahoma. Arkansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arkansas's cost of living index is 85 and Oklahoma's is 87, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $195K in Arkansas and $215K in Oklahoma (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month in Arkansas and $1,000 in Oklahoma.
Home insurance averages $2,600 a year in Arkansas and $5,200 in Oklahoma, so Arkansas is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 619 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 449 in Oklahoma (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oklahoma is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 38% lower. Property crime is 2,469 per 100,000 in Arkansas against 2,840 in Oklahoma, again favoring Arkansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.8 years in Arkansas and 73.6 in Oklahoma (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Arkansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arkansas's health system 44th of 50 and Oklahoma's 50th, so Arkansas scores better on care.
9.4% of Arkansas residents have no health insurance against 14.3% in Oklahoma, which favors Arkansas. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas's K-12 schools 42nd in the country and Oklahoma's 43rd, 1 places apart in Arkansas's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points and Oklahoma went to Trump by 33 points.
Arkansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Oklahoma has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.00 an hour in Arkansas and $7.25 in Oklahoma.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Arkansas (tornado, flood) and very high in Oklahoma (tornado, drought, ice-storm), so Arkansas is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Arkansas and 38 in Oklahoma (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
11
Arkansas
3
Oklahoma
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arkansas or Oklahoma better to live in?
Arkansas wins more of the measures that decide a move. Arkansas on taxes ($5,966 a year for a median household against $6,976); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 87); Oklahoma on safety (449 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); Arkansas on schools (ranked 42nd against 43rd).
Which is cheaper, Arkansas or Oklahoma?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 87. The median home is $195K in Arkansas and $215K in Oklahoma (2024). On state and local taxes Arkansas saves a median household about $1,000 a year.
Does Arkansas or Oklahoma 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 $6,976 in Oklahoma ($3,141 income tax, $1,828 property tax on the median home and $2,007 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arkansas or Oklahoma?
Oklahoma, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 619 per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 449 in Oklahoma; property crime is 2,469 against 2,840.
Which has better schools, Arkansas or Oklahoma?
Arkansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas 42nd of 50 for K-12 and Oklahoma 43rd.
Is Arkansas or Oklahoma better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Oklahoma does not tax 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 $1,828 in Oklahoma.