Lawton, OK vs Fort Smith, AR: cost of living compared
Price levels from BEA (2024); rent and home values from Zillow (September 2026).
The short answer
- Overall, living costs in Fort Smith, AR and Lawton, OK are within 1% of each other (BEA, 2024).
- To keep the same standard of living, $75,000 in Lawton works out to about $75,000 in Fort Smith, before taxes.
- Housing is 6.9% lower in Fort Smith, goods 0.2% lower and other services 0.1% lower, which roughly cancel out.
- Typical asking rent is $1,074 a month in Fort Smith and $1,126 in Lawton, $624 a year less in Fort Smith (Zillow, September 2026).
- A typical home is valued at about $203,000 in Fort Smith and $157,000 in Lawton.
- The gap is about where it was in 2019 (1.0%).
derived Calculated from BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) and Zillow data. Based on an average household's spending; taxes not included. How we calculate.
Category by category
Both cities against the US average (100). The gap in each row is what matters for a move.
Overall prices are about the same in Lawton and Fort Smith
Price level by category, 2024. US average = 100.
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 85.9 | 85.9 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.6 |
| Housing (rents) | 57.4 | 53.4 |
| Utilities | 73.0 | 73.8 |
| Other services | 95.5 | 95.3 |
| Category | Lawton | Fort Smith | Fort Smith vs Lawton |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 85.9 | 85.9 | −0.1% |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.6 | −0.2% |
| Housing (rents) | 57.4 | 53.4 | −6.9% |
| Utilities | 73.0 | 73.8 | +1.1% |
| Other services | 95.5 | 95.3 | −0.1% |
| Typical asking rent | $1,126 | $1,074 | −4.6% |
| Typical home value | $157,000 | $203,000 | +29.3% |
| Salary to match $75,000 in Lawton | $75,000 | $75,000 | −0.1% |
Index values: BEA, 2024, US = 100. Rent and home values: Data Provided by Zillow Group, September 2026.
How the gap has changed since 2008
The price gap between Lawton and Fort Smith has narrowed since 2008: 3.9 points then, 0.1 now
Overall price level each year, 2008–2024. US average = 100.
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.8 | 90.7 |
| 2009 | 87.7 | 88.3 |
| 2010 | 89.2 | 90.1 |
| 2011 | 91.3 | 89.9 |
| 2012 | 90.9 | 89.8 |
| 2013 | 92.0 | 90.2 |
| 2014 | 93.2 | 91.3 |
| 2015 | 90.9 | 88.9 |
| 2016 | 92.4 | 89.3 |
| 2017 | 89.8 | 89.2 |
| 2018 | 87.1 | 86.1 |
| 2019 | 87.2 | 88.1 |
| 2020 | 85.6 | 87.1 |
| 2021 | 87.0 | 87.7 |
| 2022 | 85.3 | 85.8 |
| 2023 | 88.0 | 85.3 |
| 2024 | 85.9 | 85.9 |
Goods
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.5 | 97.1 |
| 2009 | 95.3 | 95.2 |
| 2010 | 97.2 | 96.8 |
| 2011 | 97.0 | 97.0 |
| 2012 | 97.0 | 97.3 |
| 2013 | 97.2 | 97.4 |
| 2014 | 97.7 | 97.7 |
| 2015 | 96.5 | 96.6 |
| 2016 | 97.1 | 97.1 |
| 2017 | 96.9 | 97.0 |
| 2018 | 93.4 | 93.1 |
| 2019 | 95.0 | 94.8 |
| 2020 | 94.5 | 94.4 |
| 2021 | 95.8 | 95.7 |
| 2022 | 93.6 | 93.2 |
| 2023 | 93.3 | 93.1 |
| 2024 | 93.8 | 93.6 |
Housing (rents)
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 50.3 | 63.8 |
| 2009 | 55.2 | 59.0 |
| 2010 | 57.7 | 60.7 |
| 2011 | 63.0 | 58.5 |
| 2012 | 62.2 | 57.2 |
| 2013 | 69.6 | 57.7 |
| 2014 | 71.0 | 61.6 |
| 2015 | 61.0 | 54.5 |
| 2016 | 65.9 | 53.8 |
| 2017 | 61.5 | 55.4 |
| 2018 | 58.1 | 51.7 |
| 2019 | 56.9 | 58.5 |
| 2020 | 50.0 | 54.5 |
| 2021 | 52.4 | 54.0 |
| 2022 | 53.6 | 50.9 |
| 2023 | 62.6 | 50.8 |
| 2024 | 57.4 | 53.4 |
Utilities
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 80.8 | 83.8 |
| 2009 | 76.8 | 81.7 |
| 2010 | 83.3 | 82.9 |
| 2011 | 82.3 | 82.0 |
| 2012 | 82.9 | 82.1 |
| 2013 | 82.2 | 82.2 |
| 2014 | 84.4 | 82.3 |
| 2015 | 84.5 | 84.0 |
| 2016 | 83.6 | 82.7 |
| 2017 | 80.7 | 80.7 |
| 2018 | 79.1 | 79.1 |
| 2019 | 78.7 | 78.8 |
| 2020 | 77.8 | 80.9 |
| 2021 | 79.3 | 82.0 |
| 2022 | 82.0 | 82.1 |
| 2023 | 80.0 | 81.6 |
| 2024 | 73.0 | 73.8 |
Other services
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.3 | 98.6 |
| 2009 | 97.7 | 98.2 |
| 2010 | 99.6 | 100.0 |
| 2011 | 100.7 | 101.6 |
| 2012 | 101.0 | 101.8 |
| 2013 | 100.3 | 100.8 |
| 2014 | 100.2 | 100.6 |
| 2015 | 100.8 | 101.1 |
| 2016 | 101.8 | 102.1 |
| 2017 | 100.3 | 100.9 |
| 2018 | 97.7 | 97.9 |
| 2019 | 96.9 | 97.2 |
| 2020 | 99.5 | 99.5 |
| 2021 | 97.6 | 97.3 |
| 2022 | 96.4 | 96.0 |
| 2023 | 95.7 | 95.7 |
| 2024 | 95.5 | 95.3 |
Rent and home values
Typical asking rent: $1,074 in Fort Smith vs $1,126 in Lawton
Typical asking rent for a new lease, dollars per month. Quarterly.
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
- United States
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (typical asking rent, all homes, smoothed), through September 2026. Data Provided by Zillow Group.
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | $677 | – | $1,145 |
| Jun 2015 | $677 | $641 | $1,170 |
| Sep 2015 | $679 | $652 | $1,181 |
| Dec 2015 | $676 | $645 | $1,182 |
| Mar 2016 | $668 | $661 | $1,195 |
| Jun 2016 | $681 | $663 | $1,219 |
| Sep 2016 | $685 | $657 | $1,225 |
| Dec 2016 | $681 | $666 | $1,222 |
| Mar 2017 | $686 | $669 | $1,245 |
| Jun 2017 | $688 | $674 | $1,270 |
| Sep 2017 | $692 | $672 | $1,276 |
| Dec 2017 | $699 | $676 | $1,275 |
| Mar 2018 | $697 | $672 | $1,296 |
| Jun 2018 | $700 | $690 | $1,320 |
| Sep 2018 | $712 | $686 | $1,327 |
| Dec 2018 | $714 | $688 | $1,329 |
| Mar 2019 | $708 | $693 | $1,349 |
| Jun 2019 | $719 | $700 | $1,376 |
| Sep 2019 | $724 | $707 | $1,383 |
| Dec 2019 | $728 | $708 | $1,381 |
| Mar 2020 | $735 | $716 | $1,402 |
| Jun 2020 | $734 | $723 | $1,406 |
| Sep 2020 | $753 | $740 | $1,410 |
| Dec 2020 | $786 | $752 | $1,407 |
| Mar 2021 | $798 | $771 | $1,443 |
| Jun 2021 | $818 | $792 | $1,512 |
| Sep 2021 | $832 | $831 | $1,590 |
| Dec 2021 | $843 | $843 | $1,622 |
| Mar 2022 | $919 | $875 | $1,661 |
| Jun 2022 | $980 | $892 | $1,721 |
| Sep 2022 | $958 | $902 | $1,748 |
| Dec 2022 | $965 | $929 | $1,735 |
| Mar 2023 | $992 | $938 | $1,757 |
| Jun 2023 | $996 | $954 | $1,785 |
| Sep 2023 | $1,003 | $954 | $1,797 |
| Dec 2023 | $992 | $956 | $1,786 |
| Mar 2024 | $1,018 | $976 | $1,807 |
| Jun 2024 | $1,026 | $1,010 | $1,837 |
| Sep 2024 | $1,042 | $1,007 | $1,845 |
| Dec 2024 | $1,052 | $1,006 | $1,836 |
| Mar 2025 | $1,066 | $1,013 | $1,860 |
| Jun 2025 | $1,056 | $1,024 | $1,880 |
| Sep 2025 | $1,073 | $1,038 | $1,881 |
| Dec 2025 | $1,092 | $1,041 | $1,873 |
| Mar 2026 | $1,093 | $1,045 | $1,894 |
| Jun 2026 | $1,107 | $1,071 | $1,921 |
| Sep 2026 | $1,126 | $1,074 | $1,932 |
Typical home value: $203,000 in Fort Smith vs $157,000 in Lawton
Typical home value, dollars. Quarterly.
- Lawton, OK
- Fort Smith, AR
- United States
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (typical home value, middle tier, smoothed, seasonally adjusted), through September 2026. Data Provided by Zillow Group.
Show the numbers
| Lawton, OK | Fort Smith, AR | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | $109K | $112K | $189K |
| Jun 2015 | $107K | $114K | $192K |
| Sep 2015 | $106K | $115K | $195K |
| Dec 2015 | $105K | $116K | $199K |
| Mar 2016 | $105K | $117K | $202K |
| Jun 2016 | $105K | $118K | $204K |
| Sep 2016 | $104K | $119K | $206K |
| Dec 2016 | $102K | $120K | $209K |
| Mar 2017 | $100K | $121K | $213K |
| Jun 2017 | $101K | $121K | $216K |
| Sep 2017 | $103K | $121K | $219K |
| Dec 2017 | $103K | $122K | $223K |
| Mar 2018 | $102K | $124K | $227K |
| Jun 2018 | $101K | $125K | $230K |
| Sep 2018 | $100K | $126K | $234K |
| Dec 2018 | $101K | $127K | $236K |
| Mar 2019 | $102K | $129K | $239K |
| Jun 2019 | $103K | $132K | $242K |
| Sep 2019 | $102K | $134K | $244K |
| Dec 2019 | $103K | $136K | $247K |
| Mar 2020 | $106K | $137K | $252K |
| Jun 2020 | $104K | $139K | $255K |
| Sep 2020 | $105K | $144K | $260K |
| Dec 2020 | $111K | $147K | $271K |
| Mar 2021 | $118K | $151K | $282K |
| Jun 2021 | $121K | $156K | $296K |
| Sep 2021 | $122K | $162K | $306K |
| Dec 2021 | $125K | $169K | $314K |
| Mar 2022 | $129K | $175K | $330K |
| Jun 2022 | $134K | $180K | $346K |
| Sep 2022 | $136K | $181K | $348K |
| Dec 2022 | $138K | $181K | $345K |
| Mar 2023 | $137K | $181K | $343K |
| Jun 2023 | $137K | $185K | $347K |
| Sep 2023 | $138K | $185K | $352K |
| Dec 2023 | $141K | $186K | $354K |
| Mar 2024 | $142K | $186K | $357K |
| Jun 2024 | $144K | $190K | $361K |
| Sep 2024 | $143K | $191K | $361K |
| Dec 2024 | $146K | $191K | $363K |
| Mar 2025 | $147K | $194K | $364K |
| Jun 2025 | $146K | $194K | $362K |
| Sep 2025 | $147K | $194K | $362K |
| Dec 2025 | $151K | $197K | $364K |
| Mar 2026 | $154K | $202K | $366K |
| Jun 2026 | $153K | $203K | $365K |
| Sep 2026 | $157K | $203K | $366K |
More about each city
What this comparison leaves out
- Taxes. State and local income, sales and property taxes can change the result a lot, especially between states.
- Neighborhoods. These are metro-wide averages; a city center and its outer suburbs can differ by more than two metros do.
- Your own spending mix. The default uses an average household. Use the housing slider above if rent is a bigger share of your budget.
- Timing. BEA price levels are for 2024; Zillow figures are monthly and newer.