State comparison
Arkansas vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $2,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Arkansas, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 92 against 85).
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 7 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Arkansas vs Tennessee
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. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.60% of home value a year in Arkansas and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,170 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.46% in Arkansas and 9.55% in Tennessee; Arkansas 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, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arkansas's cost of living index is 85 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 8% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $195K in Arkansas and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $155K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month in Arkansas and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $2,600 a year in Arkansas and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Tennessee is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 619 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Arkansas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 8% lower. Property crime is 2,469 per 100,000 in Arkansas against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring Arkansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.8 years in Arkansas and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.4-year edge for Tennessee. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arkansas's health system 44th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so Tennessee scores better on care.
9.4% of Arkansas residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Arkansas. Arkansas expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas's K-12 schools 42nd in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 1 places apart in Tennessee'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 Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
Arkansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Tennessee 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 illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.00 an hour in Arkansas and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Arkansas (tornado, flood) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Tennessee is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Arkansas and 36 in Tennessee (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
Tennessee
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arkansas or Tennessee better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $5,966); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 92); Arkansas on safety (619 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Tennessee on schools (ranked 41st against 42nd).
Which is cheaper, Arkansas or Tennessee?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 92. The median home is $195K in Arkansas and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $2,300 a year.
Does Arkansas or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. 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 $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arkansas or Tennessee?
Arkansas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 619 per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 2,469 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, Arkansas or Tennessee?
Tennessee. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas 42nd of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st.
Is Arkansas or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,170 a year in Arkansas and $1,575 in Tennessee.