What salary do you need to live in Fayetteville, AR?
For a single person: about $67,000/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose AR-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,347 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 3.6% Arkansas income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Fayetteville worker earns about $46,610/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $55,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 15% short.
Single person — est. essentials $3,701/mo
Tight
take-home covers $3,701/mo
$55,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,441/mo
$67,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $5,552/mo
$87,000/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $4,978/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,978/mo
$72,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,974/mo
$87,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,467/mo
$111,000/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,217/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,217/mo
$91,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,460/mo
$111,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,326/mo
$142,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,222/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,222/mo
$107,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,666/mo
$130,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,833/mo
$169,000/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,347) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Arkansas's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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