State comparison
Georgia vs Arkansas: which state is better to live in?
Arkansas costs a median household about $2,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Georgia, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,170 a year against $2,754 in Georgia.
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 6 categories
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs Arkansas
Georgia has a flat 5.49% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,722 a year. 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. Arkansas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 0.60% in Arkansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $1,170, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia and 9.46% in Arkansas; Georgia is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,120 a year in Georgia, $5,966 in Arkansas. Arkansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and Arkansas's is 85, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $195K in Arkansas (Zillow, 2024), a $145K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $970 in Arkansas.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $2,600 in Arkansas, so Georgia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 619 in Arkansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Georgia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 24% lower. Property crime is 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 2,469 in Arkansas, again favoring Georgia.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 73.8 in Arkansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.4-year edge for Georgia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and Arkansas's 44th, so Georgia scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 9.4% in Arkansas, which favors Arkansas. Arkansas expanded Medicaid and Georgia did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia's K-12 schools 32nd in the country and Arkansas's 42nd, 10 places apart in Georgia's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Georgia was a swing state decided by 2 points and Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points.
Georgia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Arkansas 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 $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $11.00 in Arkansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and high in Arkansas (tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 35 in Arkansas (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
6
Georgia
8
Arkansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia or Arkansas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arkansas on taxes ($5,966 a year for a median household against $8,120); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 91); Georgia on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); Georgia on schools (ranked 32nd against 42nd).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or Arkansas?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 91. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $195K in Arkansas (2024). On state and local taxes Arkansas saves a median household about $2,200 a year.
Does Georgia or Arkansas have lower taxes?
Arkansas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,120 a year in Georgia ($3,722 income tax, $2,754 property tax on the median home and $1,644 in sales tax) and $5,966 in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Georgia or Arkansas?
Georgia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 619 in Arkansas; property crime is 2,212 against 2,469.
Which has better schools, Georgia or Arkansas?
Georgia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and Arkansas 42nd.
Is Georgia or Arkansas better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Georgia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,754 a year in Georgia and $1,170 in Arkansas.