Ha, that's not very nice, I am an AR resident, by choice, having moved from Dallas area. Real estate is super affordable and real estate taxes much lower, yes we have tax on income, but I am not working anymore, cha ching.
Perhaps another way to look at it is that I can afford to buy whatever I want, but I don't want so much anymore. I see less 'keeping up with the Jonses' here but it does still exist to a smaller degree.
Lots of focus on the outdoors and activities in the area I am in, much of it free, thanks to the generosity of (and often hated by outsiders) the WalMart and Walton families. Look up Crystal Bridges sometime if you doubt our appreciation for the finer things.