Fayetteville vs Houston
The short version
- Fayetteville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Houston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $277,800 in Houston and $349,600 in Fayetteville.
- Houston has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 48°F.
- Houston has more scorching days: 111 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 40.
- Fayetteville is growing faster: +13.1% since 2020 vs +4.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Fayetteville (19 vs 27 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Arkansas's top rate is 3.9%.
Side by side
| Fayetteville, AR | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 106,623 | 2,397,315 |
| Growth since 2020 | +13.1% | +4.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,947 | 3,741 |
| Median age | 28.8 | 34.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $62,695 | $64,813 |
| Median home value | $349,600 | $277,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,065 | $1,361 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.4 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.9 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,500 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | 3.9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.48% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.5 | 27.2 |
| Work from home | 15% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4% | 6.9% |
| Poverty rate | 20.6% | 19.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 25° | 64° / 44° |
| July high / low | 89° / 67° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 7 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 40 | 111 |
| Nights below freezing | 94 | 10 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.3 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 83% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.7% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +58.1% | +32.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Fayetteville: June and September to October. Houston: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Fayetteville weather by month and Houston weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,500 in Fayetteville and $74,000 in Houston. Moving from Fayetteville to Houston, you would need about $81,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fayetteville and Houston
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fayetteville and Houston.
Which would you pick?
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