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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Young professionals don't just need cheap — they need opportunity. And as a general rule, we scored 1 cities across Mississippi on income, market size, and transport costs. Jackson ($43,238 median income, 143,709 people) ranks #1 for 2026.
#1 Ranked: Jackson — cost index 84, rent $1,283/mo, income $43,238
Young-professional scoring: income $43,238, population 143,709 (job market depth), transport index 80
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Young professionals don't just need cheap — they need opportunity. And as a general rule, we scored 1 cities across Mississippi on income, market size, and transport costs. Jackson ($43,238 median income, 143,709 people) ranks #1 for 2026.
A closer look at Jackson: the cost index of 84 breaks down to a Housing index of 61 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 87 (weakest). Median rent is $1,283/month — 32% below the national median — while household income sits at $43,238, meaning locals spend about 36% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
(Tangentially — this is the kind of city where you can actually build equity on a median salary, which is increasingly rare.)
Zooming out, Here's the state-level backdrop: Mississippi averages a 84 cost index, $1,283/mo rent, and $43,238 income across 1 cities. It lines up with what you'd expect. That's $612 less than the national rent average. The most affordable state in America by most measures — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
Bottom line: Jackson leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
143,709 residents · Mississippi
What does daily life actually cost in Jackson? Start with the 36% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Housing (index 61) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 87) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $43,238 and homes at $86,017 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to young professionals. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Jackson ranks #1 in Mississippi for this analysis with a cost index of 84 and median income of $43,238.
Jackson scores highest for young professionals due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,283/mo, and competitive median income of $43,238.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Jackson is $1,283/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $612 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Jackson is $86,017, which is 2.0× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Mississippi has a 5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.07%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.63%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.