Home prices in Fayetteville run 30% below the national median: $295,000 versus $420,000. Relative to the $58,000 median household income here, the price-to-income ratio comes out to 5.1x.
Fayetteville's 0.6% property tax rate runs below the 1.1% national average. That's $148/month on the median home here, not a rounding error against the mortgage payment.
Between the $1,800/month mortgage payment and Arkansas's state income tax, your real housing cost calculation needs your after-tax number, not your gross salary.
Beyond housing, Fayetteville's cost of living index sits at 88 (national average = 100), running below the national baseline for groceries, transportation, and everyday services.
Fayetteville's median home price runs 37% higher than nearby Little Rock: $215,000 there versus $295,000 here.