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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Look, Mississippi is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. And most of the time, jackson leads at an index of 84 with rent at just $1,283/month — 32% less than the $1,895 national median. No major red flags in that number. Here are th…
143,709 residents · Mississippi
Jackson is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,283/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 84. Income sits at $43,238. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious.
#1 Ranked: Jackson — cost index 84, rent $1,283/mo, income $43,238
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Look, Mississippi is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. And most of the time, jackson leads at an index of 84 with rent at just $1,283/month — 32% less than the $1,895 national median. No major red flags in that number. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
In plain English: the healthcare sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 87 (the top-10 average here) means healthcare costs are about 13% below the national median. Jackson leads at 87. Note: a low healthcare index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes). Not flashy. Just effective.
Look, the numbers for Jackson are straightforward: 84 on the cost index, $1,283/month rent, $43,238 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. It lines up with what you'd expect.
Look, Rankings quantify the landscape. And depending on your situation, but the decision to move is personal. Use the spotlights above to zero in on 2-3 finalists, then run your actual salary through the calculator. The question isn't just "where is it cheapest?" — it's "where does my specific income buy the life I want?" Start here. Dig deeper on the linked city pages (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Cities are ranked by their healthcare cost sub-index within Mississippi. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. 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, MS has the lowest healthcare index at 87, compared to the national average of 100.
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.