Even though it's been feeling pricier in recent years, cost of living tends to be less expensive in Fayetteville compared with the national average, per a new analysis, Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.

Driving the news: Each quarter, the Council for Community and Economic Research assembles a cost-of-living index designed to measure "regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services."

• The group's proverbial bucket includes housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services, and is based on spending by "professional and managerial households in the top income quintile."
• The result: A snapshot in time useful for comparing relative costs across cities.

The intrigue: Costs in Fayetteville were lower than the national average in every category except miscellaneous goods and services.

Of note: The data represents Fayetteville city limits, and it was the only one of our cities to be analyzed. Areas included in the survey had organizations that volunteered to participate.

How it works: An index value of 100 represents the national average cost of living across 269 cities.

• If a city has a value over 100, its cost of living is higher than average. Under 100, lower than average.

By the numbers: Fayetteville's cost-of-living index value, as of the third quarter of 2023: 92.1.

• Relatively speaking, Fayetteville's least expensive was housing, although affordable housing is lacking.

The big picture: Goods and services tend to be more expensive in U.S. cities along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as compared with inland areas.

Among cities with more than 100,000 residents, Honolulu (179.2), San Jose (171.3) and San Francisco (169.5) had the country's highest relative cost of living as of Q3 2023.

• Residents of McAllen, Texas (80.2); Augusta, Georgia (82.8); and Amarillo, Texas (84.4) were enjoying the lowest cost of living.

Of note: Because the list of participating cities changes each quarter, the cost-of-living index can't be used to measure inflation — but other indicators suggest that higher prices are certainly sticking around.

Hey, cooking a Thanksgiving feast is a lot of work. Here's where it's already made for you.

Ella's Table in Fayetteville — Have a belated Thanksgiving meal from 11am-5pm Nov. 25 inside the Inn at Carnall Hall. $49 for adults and $15 for kids ages 3-12. Kids 2 and under are free. Call 479.582.0400.

Table at Hickory Inn in Bentonville and Mirabella's Table in Rogers — Order boxes with turkey, ham and traditional sides like mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. $125 for dinner for four.

Ruth's Chris Steak House in Rogers — Enjoy turkey with mashed potatoes, carrots and stuffing followed up with a chocolate bourbon pecan pie or pumpkin cheesecake. $48 per person. $17 for kids 12 and under.

Richard's Country Meat Market in Fayetteville — A five-pound roast turkey dinner ($125) or ham ($110) includes rolls, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, gravy and a pumpkin pie. Other options available on the holiday menu but orders have to be in by Saturday, Nov. 18.

🚗 The downtown Fayetteville Square will be closed to car traffic from 5-10pm on Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22 — all Fridays — so visitors can roam the streets and enjoy Lights of the Ozarks without cars. (Fayetteville Flyer)

🚲 Cyclists who want to help those in need can stop by Bike Rack Brewing, Ozark Beer Co. and Fossil Cove Brewing Co. to get lists of requested items for the annual Cranksgiving NWA — a food drive on two wheels — taking place on Saturday. (KNWA-TV)

💰 The Department of Commerce awarded $1.17 million to the University of Arkansas' Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program to expand the business incubator statewide. The state will match $1 million of the grant. (Northwest Arkansas Business Journal)

Multigenerational households — three or more generations under one roof — are on the rise, Axios' Brianna Crane writes.

By the numbers: The share of multigenerational households is 5.6% in Benton County and 6.2% in Washington County.

• Crittenden County has the highest rate in Arkansas with 9.9%, and Baxter County has the lowest with 3.8%.

The big picture: Financial concerns and caregiving needs are two of the major reasons people live with their parents (and parents' parents.)

• There were 6 million multigenerational households in the U.S. in 2020, up from 5.1 million in 2010, according to census data.

The intrigue: Living close to family or friends can improve your health and happiness.

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

1. Global Head, Association Strategy at D2L.
2. Senior Manager, Data Analytics at Walmart.
3. Manager Category Management at Nestle.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

👋 Alex and Worth, here. Our editor Fadel Allassan and manager Michael Graff are visiting us from Richmond, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Why it matters: These folks help sharpen our stories, and now they get to see this place we're writing about every day.

What's happening: We're showing them around town — and by that, we mean all four of the largest cities in NWA. So far, we've stopped at places like Maxine's Tap Room in Fayetteville and Onyx Coffee Lab in Rogers. We're also checking out Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and downtown Springdale.