Is Fort Smith cheaper than Shreveport?

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

Which has higher household income, Fort Smith or Shreveport?

Fort Smith has the higher median household income — $60,327 versus $57,514 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Fort Smith or Shreveport?

A paycheck stretches further in Fort Smith. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,239 there versus $67,850 in Shreveport.

Which has cheaper rent, Fort Smith or Shreveport?

Fort Smith has cheaper rent — a median of $906/mo versus $990/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Fort Smith vs Shreveport

Metro-area medians — Fort Smith, AR-OK Metro Area vs Shreveport-Bossier City, LA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Fort Smith comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Fort Smith and Shreveport cost about the same to live in, but Fort Smith households earn about 5% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Fort Smith.

Their widest everyday difference: Fort Smith has the tighter job market — 4.2% unemployment versus 6.3%.

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

Fort Smith, AR

$58,568

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$68,191

real value after local prices

Shreveport, LA

$59,439

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$70,121

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Shreveport leaves you about $1,930/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

Fort Smith

Shreveport

Livability (CityLedger)

35/100

28/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

85.9

84.8

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,239

$67,850

Median household income

$60,327

$57,514

Median rent

$906/mo

$990/mo

Median home value

$207,000

$195,300

Unemployment

4.2%

6.3%

Bachelor's degree or higher

21.4%

26.7%

Average commute

21.4 min

22.1 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

62°F

67°F

Choose Fort Smith for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Fort Smith profile →

Choose Shreveport for

+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Shreveport profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Fort Smith and Shreveport on cost, income, size, and education.

Fort Smith vs Joplin→Fort Smith vs Lake Charles→Fort Smith vs Florence→Shreveport vs Monroe→Shreveport vs Lake Charles→Shreveport vs Joplin→

Fort Smith vs Shreveport — frequently asked

Is Fort Smith cheaper than Shreveport?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Fort Smith and Shreveport metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Fort Smith or Shreveport?: Fort Smith has the higher median household income — $60,327 versus $57,514 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Fort Smith or Shreveport?: A paycheck stretches further in Fort Smith. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,239 there versus $67,850 in Shreveport.
Which has cheaper rent, Fort Smith or Shreveport?: Fort Smith has cheaper rent — a median of $906/mo versus $990/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).