State comparison
Oklahoma vs Arkansas: 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.
Oklahoma
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 3 categories
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Oklahoma vs Arkansas
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 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 0.85% of home value a year in Oklahoma and 0.60% in Arkansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,828 against $1,170, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97% in Oklahoma and 9.46% in Arkansas; Oklahoma is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,976 a year in Oklahoma, $5,966 in Arkansas. Arkansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oklahoma's cost of living index is 87 and Arkansas's is 85, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Oklahoma and $195K in Arkansas (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,000 a month in Oklahoma and $970 in Arkansas.
Home insurance averages $5,200 a year in Oklahoma and $2,600 in Arkansas, so Arkansas is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 449 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 619 in Arkansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oklahoma is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 38% lower. Property crime is 2,840 per 100,000 in Oklahoma against 2,469 in Arkansas, again favoring Arkansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.6 years in Oklahoma and 73.8 in Arkansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Arkansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oklahoma's health system 50th of 50 and Arkansas's 44th, so Arkansas scores better on care.
14.3% of Oklahoma residents have no health insurance against 9.4% in Arkansas, which favors Arkansas. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma's K-12 schools 43rd in the country and Arkansas's 42nd, 1 places apart in Arkansas's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Oklahoma went to Trump by 33 points and Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points.
Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma and $11.00 in Arkansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Oklahoma (tornado, drought, ice-storm) and high in Arkansas (tornado, flood), so Arkansas is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Oklahoma 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
3
Oklahoma
11
Arkansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oklahoma or Arkansas 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, Oklahoma or Arkansas?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 87. The median home is $215K in Oklahoma and $195K in Arkansas (2024). On state and local taxes Arkansas saves a median household about $1,000 a year.
Does Oklahoma or Arkansas have lower taxes?
Arkansas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,976 a year in Oklahoma ($3,141 income tax, $1,828 property tax on the median home and $2,007 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, Oklahoma or Arkansas?
Oklahoma, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 449 per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 619 in Arkansas; property crime is 2,840 against 2,469.
Which has better schools, Oklahoma or Arkansas?
Arkansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma 43rd of 50 for K-12 and Arkansas 42nd.
Is Oklahoma or Arkansas better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Oklahoma 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 $1,828 a year in Oklahoma and $1,170 in Arkansas.