Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in Mississippi beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Jackson stands out at 75 on the index, with rent of $1,283/month and household income of $43,238. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#1 Ranked: Jackson — cost index 75, rent $1,283/mo, income $43,238
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in Mississippi beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Jackson stands out at 75 on the index, with rent of $1,283/month and household income of $43,238. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Tax burden isn't just income tax. We combine three layers: state income tax (5% in Jackson), combined state+local sales tax (7.07%), and effective property tax (0.63%). At 5% state income tax, the real differentiator becomes sales and property tax rates. On a $75,000 salary, the estimated take-home in #1 Jackson is $53,960/year (that's pre-tax, of course).
Why Jackson ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 75 on the cost index, residents save roughly 36% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,283/month while the median household pulls in $43,238/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 75, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $86,017 — $381,353 below the national median (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
It checks most boxes — but the healthcare costs are the asterisk. In Jackson, the healthcare index sits at 95 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Bottom line: Jackson leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. No major red flags in that number. 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
Why Jackson ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 75 on the cost index, residents save roughly 36% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,283/month — this is the part where it gets real — while the median household pulls in $43,238/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 75, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $86,017 — $381,353 below the national median.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Jackson | 5% | 7.07% | 0.63% | $32,812 |
Jackson ranks #1 in Mississippi for this analysis with a cost index of 75 and 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.