Head-to-head, from CMS Plan Year 2026 data.
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Utah is the cheaper of the two: a 40-year-old pays about $805/month for the median Silver plan, versus $828 — a difference of $23/month (3%) before subsidies.
| Utah | Arkansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Silver @40 | $805 | $828 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $559 | $753 |
| Most expensive county @40 | $1,125 | $879 |
| Age 27 | $526 | $617 |
| Age 60 | $1,134 | $1,599 |
| Carriers | 6 | 4 |
| Counties | 29 | 75 |
| 1-carrier counties | 1 | 0 |
| Plan types | EPO, HMO | POS, PPO |
Network note: Utah has no PPO plans in 2026 while Arkansas does. If you work across county or state lines that difference matters more than the premium gap.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits; not a quote or an offer of coverage.
This page sets two states against each other. For county-by-county carriers, plan data and help actually enrolling, I publish a page for each state on Coverage by County: Utah or Arkansas. There is also a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment periods.
Put your ZIP code in and I will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to me — not a call center.
Relocating between Utah and Arkansas counts as a qualifying life event. That buys a 60-day special enrollment period, dated from the move, to choose among Arkansas’s 4 filing carriers. Two conditions apply: at least one day of qualifying coverage during the 60 days beforehand, and the move cannot be purely for medical treatment or a holiday.
Your plan will not come with you. Marketplace coverage is sold state by state, so the Utah policy ends and a Arkansas application begins — new network, new premium, even if the name on the card stays the same.
No insurer spans both. Utah has 6 carriers filing, Arkansas has a separate 4, so a move means a new company as well as a new plan.
The plan types do not match up. PPOs cover all 75 counties in Arkansas and zero of the 29 in Utah. Since the PPO is the one type that reliably pays out of network, moving into Utah narrows where you can be seen rather than just changing what you pay.
Only one of the two can be your plan state. Marketplace eligibility runs on primary residence, so if you file from Utah the Arkansas care is the out-of-network half, and the reverse if you file from Arkansas.
State averages hide enormous county-level spread. Whichever of Utah or Arkansas you are in, your ZIP is what sets your premium.