These Are The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Mississippi For 2018

Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and Mississippi does this very well. Families love the Magnolia State’s beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.

But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state — and that’s how we’re going to help you.

These are the places in Mississippi that cost a pretty penny — the most expensive cities in the state.

After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Mississippi for 2018:

1. Diamondhead (Photos | Homes For Sale)
2. Long Beach (Photos | Homes For Sale)
3. Natchez (Photos | Homes For Sale)
4. Biloxi (Photos | Homes For Sale)
5. Ocean Springs (Photos | Homes For Sale)
6. Gulfport (Photos | Homes For Sale)
7. Waveland (Photos | Homes For Sale)
8. D’Iberville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
9. Gautier (Photos | Homes For Sale)
10. Picayune (Photos | Homes For Sale)

So hopefully Crystal Springs (the cheapest place to live in Mississippi) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.

And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out the best places to live in Mississippi or the cheapest.

1. Diamondhead

Population: 8,583
Services: 98
Groceries: 94
Health Care: 94
Housing: 112
Transportation: 97
Utilities: 97
More on Diamondhead: Homes For Sale | Data
Diamondhead is a city in southeastern Hancock County, Mississippi, United States. The city is located just over 50 miles northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is part of the GulfportBiloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. In February 2012, Diamondhead was officially incorporated as a city. At the time of the 2010 census, when Diamondhead was an unincorporated census-designated place, the population was 8,425. The city population, with slightly different boundaries, was estimated at 8,217 in 2016.

2. Long Beach

Population: 14,981
Services: 98
Groceries: 94
Health Care: 94
Housing: 95
Transportation: 97
Utilities: 97
More on Long Beach: Homes For Sale | Data
Long Beach is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 14,792.

3. Natchez

Population: 15,847
Services: 112
Groceries: 100
Health Care: 108
Housing: 54
Transportation: 101
Utilities: 84
More on Natchez: Homes For Sale | Data

4. Biloxi

Population: 44,223
Services: 98
Groceries: 94
Health Care: 94
Housing: 87
Transportation: 97
Utilities: 97
More on Biloxi: Homes For Sale | Data
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054, and in 2016 the estimated population was 45,975. Along with the adjoining city of Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County. It was first settled by French colonists.

5. Ocean Springs

Population: 17,420
Services: 96
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 88
Housing: 99
Transportation: 96
Utilities: 107
More on Ocean Springs: Homes For Sale | Data
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately 2 miles east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 U.S. Census. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city of Ocean Springs had a population of 17,442.

6. Gulfport

Population: 68,158
Services: 98
Groceries: 94
Health Care: 94
Housing: 77
Transportation: 97
Utilities: 97
More on Gulfport: Homes For Sale | Data
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city of Gulfport had a total population of 67,793. Gulfport is co-county seat with Biloxi of Harrison County, Mississippi. Gulfport is also home to the US Navy Atlantic Fleet Seabees.

7. Waveland

Population: 6,492
Services: 98
Groceries: 94
Health Care: 94
Housing: 77
Transportation: 97
Utilities: 97
More on Waveland: Homes For Sale | Data
Waveland is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city of Waveland was incorporated in 1972. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,435. Waveland was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.

8. D’Iberville

Population: 9,539
Services: 96
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 88
Housing: 83
Transportation: 96
Utilities: 107
More on D’Iberville: Homes For Sale | Data
D’Iberville is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, immediately north of Biloxi, across the Back Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 9,486. It is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area.

9. Gautier

Population: 18,502
Services: 96
Groceries: 103
Health Care: 88
Housing: 72
Transportation: 96
Utilities: 107
More on Gautier: Homes For Sale | Data
Gautier is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, along the Gulf of Mexico west of Pascagoula. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,572 at the 2010 census. In 2002, Gautier annexed land nearly doubling its population to 18,413 by 2010, according to the Gautier Comprehensive Plan 2030.

10. Picayune

Population: 10,982
Services: 98
Groceries: 94
Health Care: 94
Housing: 65
Transportation: 97
Utilities: 97
More on Picayune: Homes For Sale | Data
Picayune is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi. The population was 10,878 at the 2010 census. Picayune was added to the New Orleans metropolitan area in 2014, however it remains its own town respectively. The city is located approximately 45 miles from New Orleans, Hattiesburg and Gulfport-Biloxi. The Stennis Space Center is 10 miles away.

Next 10 Cities

How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Magnolia State For 2018

There are basic necessities that you have to buy no matter where in the country you live. Those things include:

• Housing
• Food
• Gas
• Health Insurance
• Utilities
• Transportation

You can then compare the cost of these things in each of the places in Mississippi to figure out which is the most expensive.

What you are left with is a “Cost of Living Index” that normalizes to 100 for an average place in the United States.

So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 62 places in Mississippi that have more than 5,000 people.

And just so you can better understand how the cost of living index works, 100 is the average cost of a place in the United States. A score of 90 means that the place cost 10% less than average.

San Francisco has a score of 243 meaning it’s almost 2.5 times as expensive as the average place in the country.

Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck

Well there you have it, the places in Mississippi that have the highest cost of living, with Diamondhead ranking as the most expensive city in the Magnolia State.

If you’re curious, here are the least expensive cities in Mississippi:

1. Crystal Springs
2. Forest
3. Waynesboro

For more Mississippi reading, check out:

• 10 Worst Places To Live In Mississippi
• 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Mississippi
• 10 Best Cities For Singles In Mississippi

Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Mississippi

Rank	City	Population	Services	Groceries	Health Care
1	Diamondhead	8,583	98	94	94
2	Long Beach	14,981	98	94	94
3	Natchez	15,847	112	100	108
4	Biloxi	44,223	98	94	94
5	Ocean Springs	17,420	96	103	88
6	Gulfport	68,158	98	94	94
7	Waveland	6,492	98	94	94
8	D’Iberville	9,539	96	103	88
9	Gautier	18,502	96	103	88
10	Picayune	10,982	98	94	94
11	Pascagoula	22,523	96	103	88
12	Moss Point	13,807	96	103	88
13	Vicksburg	23,725	99	98	91
14	Oxford	19,022	89	87	96
15	Olive Branch	33,484	93	91	85
16	Greenville	34,259	99	98	91
17	Hernando	14,117	93	91	85
18	Southaven	48,981	93	91	85
19	Indianola	10,682	99	98	91
20	Yazoo City	11,524	99	98	91
21	Senatobia	8,071	93	91	85
22	Starkville	23,908	89	87	96
23	Horn Lake	26,120	93	91	85
24	Madison	24,153	85	98	89
25	Batesville	7,457	93	91	85
26	Flowood	7,881	85	98	89
27	Cleveland	12,315	93	91	85
28	Tupelo	34,827	89	87	96
29	Ridgeland	23,987	85	98	89
30	Brandon	21,689	85	98	89
31	New Albany	8,076	89	87	96
32	Clinton	25,361	85	98	89
33	Pontotoc	5,652	89	87	96
34	Columbus	23,604	89	87	96
35	Byram	11,277	85	98	89
36	Corinth	14,663	89	87	96
37	Petal	10,515	85	98	89
38	West Point	11,317	89	87	96
39	Grenada	13,121	89	87	96
40	Pearl	25,623	85	98	89
41	Greenwood	15,298	89	87	96
42	Louisville	6,617	89	87	96
43	Richland	6,955	85	98	89
44	Hattiesburg	46,284	85	98	89
45	Holly Springs	7,699	93	91	85
46	Booneville	8,788	89	87	96
47	Ripley	5,381	89	87	96
48	Jackson	174,382	85	98	89
49	Canton	13,185	85	98	89
50	Amory	7,313	89	87	96
51	Kosciusko	7,359	89	87	96
52	Aberdeen	5,626	89	87	96
53	Clarksdale	17,906	93	91	85
54	Carthage	5,062	85	98	89
55	Philadelphia	7,483	85	98	89
56	Columbia	6,543	85	98	89
57	Meridian	41,056	85	98	89
58	Laurel	18,611	85	98	89
59	Brookhaven	12,549	85	98	89
60	Waynesboro	5,073	85	98	89
61	Forest	5,702	85	98	89
62	Crystal Springs	5,060	85	98	89