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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
At $1,283/month for rent and a cost index of 84, Jackson is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $43,238. That alone makes it worth considering.
143,709 residents · Mississippi
The way we see it, the #1 spot goes to Jackson, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,283/month — saving renters $7,344 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 61, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 87. The 36% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended (we double-checked this one).
#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
At $1,283/month for rent and a cost index of 84, Jackson is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $43,238. That alone makes it worth considering.
Mississippi is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Jackson leads at an index of 84 with rent at just $1,283/month — 32% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
The other side of the coin: Across Mississippi, the average cost of living index is 84 — 28 points below the national median. Known for the most affordable state in America by most measures, the state offers 1 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,283/month. That's $612 less than the national average of $1,895. That gap is hard to ignore.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
Cities are ranked by their housing 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 housing index at 61, 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.