Is Dayton cheaper than Fayetteville?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Dayton and Fayetteville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Dayton or Fayetteville?

Fayetteville has the higher median household income — $81,208 versus $72,711 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Dayton or Fayetteville?

A paycheck stretches further in Fayetteville. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $88,895 there versus $78,442 in Dayton.

Which has cheaper rent, Dayton or Fayetteville?

Dayton has cheaper rent — a median of $1,119/mo versus $1,222/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Dayton vs Fayetteville

Metro-area medians — Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Metro Area vs Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Fayetteville comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Dayton and Fayetteville cost about the same to live in, but Fayetteville households earn about 12% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Fayetteville.

Their widest everyday difference: Fayetteville has the tighter job market — 2.2% unemployment versus 4.9%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Dayton, OH

$59,967

take-home / yr · 20% to tax

$64,694

real value after local prices

Fayetteville, AR

$58,568

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$64,112

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Dayton leaves you about $582/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Dayton

Fayetteville

Livability (CityLedger)

49/100

70/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

92.7

91.4

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$78,442

$88,895

Median household income

$72,711

$81,208

Median rent

$1,119/mo

$1,222/mo

Median home value

$228,600

$362,500

Unemployment

4.9%

2.2%

Bachelor's degree or higher

34.6%

38.2%

Average commute

22.3 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

54°F

57°F

Choose Dayton for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value

Full Dayton profile →

Choose Fayetteville for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Fayetteville profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Dayton and Fayetteville on cost, income, size, and education.

Dayton vs Akron→Dayton vs Greensboro→Dayton vs Winston-Salem→Fayetteville vs Des Moines→Fayetteville vs Omaha→Fayetteville vs Lexington→

Dayton vs Fayetteville — frequently asked

Is Dayton cheaper than Fayetteville?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Dayton and Fayetteville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Dayton or Fayetteville?: Fayetteville has the higher median household income — $81,208 versus $72,711 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Dayton or Fayetteville?: A paycheck stretches further in Fayetteville. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $88,895 there versus $78,442 in Dayton.
Which has cheaper rent, Dayton or Fayetteville?: Dayton has cheaper rent — a median of $1,119/mo versus $1,222/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).