These 10 Arkansas Towns Are So Affordable You Can Live On Social Security
Most retirees I talk to assume living on Social Security means cutting back on almost everything. Spend a little time in Arkansas, though, and that idea starts to fall apart.
A monthly check can still cover the basics in plenty of towns here, with room left for ordinary things like eating out once in a while or picking up fresh vegetables on the weekend. I’ve driven around the state for years, stopping in small towns and asking people what it really costs to live there.
The numbers usually surprised me in a good way. Life feels easier to manage when housing stays reasonable and daily expenses don’t pile up so fast.
Even simple routines feel less stressful when the bills stay predictable month to month. A steady Social Security payment goes further here than most people expect.
These Arkansas towns show what that looks like in real life.
1. Sherwood
Just a short drive northeast of Little Rock, Sherwood sits in Pulaski County and punches well above its weight when it comes to everyday comfort on a fixed income. The median home price here stays well below the national average, and renters find solid options without the sticker shock that comes with larger cities.
Quiet residential streets and mature shade trees give many neighborhoods an established feel that longtime residents take pride in. Newcomers often mention how quickly everyday errands start to feel familiar and easy to manage.
Sherwood has its own parks, a recreation center, and easy access to the shopping and medical facilities along Highway 107, which means you rarely need to travel far for anything important. Public transportation routes connect Sherwood to Little Rock, giving residents without a car a way to reach larger services, including the VA Medical Center, an important resource for many veteran retirees.
Utility costs are generally reasonable by national standards, and Arkansas does not tax Social Security income at the state level, which puts real dollars back in your pocket every month. Sherwood is the kind of place where your budget breathes easy and your daily routine actually feels like living.
2. Bella Vista
Located in the far northwest corner of Arkansas in Benton County, Bella Vista was originally developed as a private resort community. That heritage left behind something remarkable: several lakes, multiple golf courses, and miles of trails that residents can use for a relatively low annual fee.
That recreational infrastructure would cost a fortune anywhere else, but here it comes bundled into a lifestyle that fits comfortably within a Social Security budget.
Grocery prices at local stores are competitive, and the proximity to Bentonville means access to a wider range of services without the bigger city price tag on housing.
The population skews older, so the community genuinely understands and caters to retirees, from the volunteer programs to the fitness classes at the recreation center.
Winters are mild compared to states further north, which keeps heating bills from becoming a monthly crisis, and the Ozark scenery delivers four distinct seasons without requiring a plane ticket to enjoy them.
Neighbors here tend to be long-timers who look out for each other, and the HOA-managed common areas stay in excellent shape year-round.
Living here feels like a permanent vacation that somehow costs less than your old apartment back home.
3. Piggott
Clay County’s Piggott carries a literary footnote that gives it extra personality: Ernest Hemingway wrote portions of A Farewell to Arms in a barn studio behind his in-laws’ house here. That barn still stands today as part of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum, and it’s easy to tour without spending much.
Beyond the literary history, Piggott is simply one of the most budget-friendly small towns in northeast Arkansas, where a modest home can be purchased for a fraction of what the same square footage costs in a mid-sized city.
The cost of everyday life, from the local diner to the hardware store, reflects a community where people still believe a dollar should go a reasonable distance.
Healthcare access has improved with a regional clinic nearby, and the flat Delta-adjacent landscape makes getting around easy even for those who prefer not to navigate hills.
The town holds community events through the year, including a fall festival that draws folks from surrounding counties and gives everyone a reason to gather in the town square.
Property taxes in Clay County are among the lowest in the state, which adds up to meaningful savings when you are living on a fixed monthly income.
Piggott rewards those who take the time to look past its modest size and discover a genuinely affordable place to call home.
4. Hot Springs
Hot Springs is one of those places where the name alone does half the marketing, and the reality usually lives up to the intrigue. The historic stretch along Central Avenue known as Bathhouse Row is a National Historic Landmark that you can explore for free, and the thermal waters that made the city famous still flow today.
Housing costs in Hot Springs generally run below national medians, and the range of options, including lakeside cottages near Lake Hamilton and walkable downtown apartments, gives retirees flexibility in both lifestyle and budget.
The city maintains an active arts scene, with galleries, live music venues, and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival bringing visitors each October without overwhelming everyday life. Medical care is reliable, with CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs providing full hospital services, an important consideration for many retirees.
Garland County property taxes remain relatively low, and the nearby Ouachita National Forest offers hiking, fishing, and scenic drives that are often free to enjoy.
Hot Springs manages the rare trick of offering a resort-town feel at prices that still work for many fixed incomes.
5. Highland
Sharp County’s Highland sits in the Ozark foothills where the scenery is genuinely beautiful. The cost of living is genuinely low, which is a combination that does not come around as often as you would hope.
Home prices here are among the most affordable in the entire state, and for retirees who own their property outright, the monthly expenses can shrink to a level where a Social Security check covers everything with room to spare.
The nearby Spring River draws kayakers and trout fishers from across the region, and for residents it is simply a backyard recreation spot that never charges admission.
Highland is a small community, which means the social fabric is tight and newcomers tend to get folded into local life fairly quickly through church groups, volunteer organizations, and the kind of informal neighborliness that larger towns have mostly forgotten.
Grocery options are modest in town, but Cherokee Village and Hardy are just a short drive away and offer more variety without requiring a long trip.
The climate in this part of Arkansas is four-season without being extreme, and the wooded hills make every season feel distinctly different and worth paying attention to.
For retirees who want nature close, costs low, and community real, Highland quietly delivers on all three.
6. Bryant
Bryant, in Saline County has grown steadily over the past two decades into one of the most livable suburban communities in central Arkansas. It has managed to grow without losing the affordability that made it appealing in the first place.
Saline County consistently ranks among the most affordable counties in Arkansas for homeownership, and Bryant sits right at the center of that value zone.
The school system is well-regarded, which keeps families in the area, and that stable community investment tends to maintain property values and neighborhood quality over time without driving prices through the roof.
For retirees, the mix of modern grocery stores, medical clinics, restaurants, and retail along Alcott Road means you rarely need to leave town for daily needs.
Bryant is close enough to Little Rock that specialty medical appointments, cultural events, and airport access are always within easy reach, but far enough that traffic and noise stay at a manageable level.
Parks and walking trails throughout the city give active retirees plenty of outdoor options without requiring a car or a membership fee.
Bryant strikes the balance between convenience and calm that many retirees spend years searching for, and it does it at a price point that keeps the budget honest.
7. Salem
Fulton County’s Salem is the kind of town where the courthouse square still functions as the genuine center of community life, and that tells you something important about how people here relate to each other.
Home prices in Salem are remarkably low even by Arkansas standards, and renters find options that would seem almost implausible to anyone accustomed to metro-area housing markets.
The town sits near the South Fork of the Spring River, which means fishing, floating, and wildlife watching are available practically at the doorstep for anyone who wants them.
Salem has a small-town medical clinic and is within a reasonable drive of larger facilities in Mountain Home, which gives residents access to more comprehensive care when the situation calls for it.
The community calendar stays active with local events, from the Fulton County Fair to seasonal markets that bring residents together and give the town a lively pulse despite its modest size.
Utility costs in this part of the Ozarks run low, and the wooded setting provides natural insulation that keeps homes cooler in summer and cozier in winter than you might expect.
Salem is proof that a quiet life in a beautiful setting does not have to come with a price tag that keeps you up at night.
8. Cherokee Village
Developed in the 1950s and 1960s as a planned recreational community, Cherokee Village in Sharp County, has evolved into one of Arkansas’s most popular retirement destinations. The price-to-lifestyle ratio is a big reason why.
The community was built around seven lakes, two golf courses, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and parks, and residents pay a modest property owners association fee to access all of it.
Home prices here are genuinely low, with many solid properties available well under six figures, which means retirees can own outright or carry a very small mortgage that leaves plenty of room in the monthly budget.
The population is predominantly retired, so the community infrastructure, from the fitness programs to the volunteer groups, is designed with older adults specifically in mind.
Summers along these Ozark lakes are warm and pleasant, and the fishing on the spring-fed lakes is something locals talk about with the kind of quiet pride that means it is actually good.
The Hardy area just down the road adds a bit of shopping and dining variety, including a charming historic downtown that hosts festivals throughout the warmer months.
Cherokee Village is one of those places where retirement stops being a concept and starts being an actual enjoyable daily reality.
9. Crossett
Ashley County’s Crossett sits in the piney woods of southeast Arkansas where the land is flat, the pace is slow, and the monthly cost of living can genuinely be covered by a standard Social Security payment without heroic budgeting.
The timber industry shaped this town’s identity over more than a century, and that working-class heritage means the community values practical, honest living over pretense, which translates into affordable goods, reasonable rents, and neighbors who do not put on airs.
Housing costs here are among the lowest you will find anywhere in the state, with both rentals and purchase options available at prices that feel like they belong to a different era.
Crossett has a hospital, the Ashley County Medical Center, which provides residents with local healthcare access that many small towns in rural America have lost over recent decades.
The Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge is nearby, offering birdwatching, fishing, and wildlife observation across thousands of acres of bottomland habitat that feels genuinely wild and unhurried.
Community events at the local parks and the annual activities organized through local civic groups keep social life active for residents who want to stay connected.
Crossett is not flashy, and it has no interest in being flashy, which is precisely why it works so well for retirees who have earned a little quiet.
10. Tontitown
Founded by Italian immigrants in 1898, Tontitown in Washington County, carries a cultural distinctiveness that sets it apart from every other town on this list. The annual Grape Festival held each August is a community tradition that has been running for well over a century.
The town sits in the fast-growing northwest Arkansas corridor, which means access to world-class amenities in nearby Fayetteville and Springdale, including the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, without paying northwest Arkansas prices for housing.
Tontitown’s own housing market remains more affordable than its neighbors, and the smaller-town character keeps daily life feeling personal rather than anonymous.
The Italian heritage is still visible in the community’s food culture, local church life, and the pride residents take in a founding story that involved real perseverance and real roots in the land.
Northwest Arkansas as a region has excellent healthcare infrastructure, with multiple hospital systems operating within a short drive, which matters enormously for retirees planning long-term.
The Razorback Greenway trail system connects Tontitown to surrounding communities, giving cyclists and walkers a car-free route through some genuinely pretty Arkansas scenery.
Tontitown offers a rare combination of cultural character, regional convenience, and a price point that makes a Social Security retirement feel not just possible but actually pleasant.