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 2019.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Mississippi? That would be Oxford.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Mississippi for 2019:
- Oxford (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Starkville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Bay St. Louis (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Biloxi (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Picayune (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Cleveland (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Ridgeland (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Gulfport (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Natchez (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Hattiesburg (Photos | Homes For Sale)
So hopefully Aberdeen (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 some more reading about Mississippi and the most expensive cities in the country:
The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Mississippi For 2019
/10
Population: 22,092
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.7x (1st most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 41.8x (7th most expensive)
More on Oxford: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract.
The median income in Oxford comes in at $36,561 and the median home value is $245,400 for 2019.
/10
Population: 24,954
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.4x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 48.5x (20th most expensive)
More on Starkville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Starkville is a city in and the county seat of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. The Starkville Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Oktibbeha County. The population was 23,888 at the 2010 census.
The median income in Starkville comes in at $36,700 and the median home value is $159,700 for 2019.
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Population: 11,918
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 53.3x (34th most expensive)
More on Bay St. Louis: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bay St. Louis comes in at $42,002 and the median home value is $162,900 for 2019.
/10
Population: 45,328
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.5x (6th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 52.8x (32nd most expensive)
More on Biloxi: Real Estate | Data | Photos
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.
The median income in Biloxi comes in at $43,632 and the median home value is $154,800 for 2019.
/10
Population: 10,528
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.4x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 45.0x (13th most expensive)
More on Picayune: Real Estate | Data | Photos
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.
The median income in Picayune comes in at $35,022 and the median home value is $118,200 for 2019.
/10
Population: 12,157
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.3x (14th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 43.7x (9th most expensive)
More on Cleveland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Cleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 United States Census.
The median income in Cleveland comes in at $33,638 and the median home value is $111,400 for 2019.
/10
Population: 24,312
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.3x (15th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.2x (37th most expensive)
More on Ridgeland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Ridgeland is a city in Madison County, Mississippi. The population was 24,047 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The median income in Ridgeland comes in at $54,833 and the median home value is $181,100 for 2019.
/10
Population: 71,318
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.2x (18th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 44.3x (11th most expensive)
More on Gulfport: Real Estate | Data | Photos
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.
The median income in Gulfport comes in at $37,243 and the median home value is $118,300 for 2019.
/10
Population: 15,191
Rank Last Year: 21 (Up 13)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 48.6x (21st most expensive)
More on Natchez: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Natchez comes in at $28,089 and the median home value is $110,500 for 2019.
/10
Population: 46,495
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 8)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.3x (16th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 42.2x (8th most expensive)
More on Hattiesburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, primarily in Forrest County and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 46,805 in 2015. It is the principal city of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties.
The median income in Hattiesburg comes in at $32,009 and the median home value is $104,200 for 2019.
How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Magnolia State For 2019
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:
- How much do money do I make?
- How much do I have spend to live there?
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it’s actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2013-2017 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).
You can then compare these metrics 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” by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
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.
The place with the highest cost of living in Mississippi according to the data is Oxford.
Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Mississippi For 2019
Well there you have it, the places in Mississippi that have the highest cost of living, with Oxford ranking as the most expensive city in the Magnolia State.
Here’s a look at the most affordable cities in Mississippi according to the data:
- Aberdeen
- Clarksdale
- Pontotoc
For more Mississippi reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Mississippi
- 10 Safest Places In Mississippi
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Mississippi
Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Mississippi
Rank | City | ExpensiveScore |
---|---|---|
1 | Oxford | 3.33 |
2 | Starkville | 11.0 |
3 | Bay St. Louis | 16.0 |
4 | Biloxi | 17.33 |
5 | Picayune | 17.67 |
6 | Cleveland | 18.67 |
7 | Ridgeland | 18.83 |
8 | Gulfport | 19.33 |
9 | Natchez | 19.33 |
10 | Hattiesburg | 20.67 |
11 | Brookhaven | 20.67 |
12 | Flowood | 20.67 |
13 | Pass Christian | 21.0 |
14 | Columbia | 21.67 |
15 | Yazoo City | 22.0 |
16 | Vicksburg | 24.67 |
17 | Booneville | 25.67 |
18 | West Point | 26.0 |
19 | Columbus | 26.0 |
20 | Greenwood | 26.67 |
21 | Long Beach | 27.0 |
22 | Amory | 28.0 |
23 | New Albany | 28.33 |
24 | D’iberville | 28.33 |
25 | Mccomb | 29.67 |
26 | Ocean Springs | 30.33 |
27 | Tupelo | 30.67 |
28 | Canton | 30.67 |
29 | Clinton | 32.0 |
30 | Richland | 32.0 |
31 | Pascagoula | 32.33 |
32 | Grenada | 32.33 |
33 | Batesville | 32.67 |
34 | Greenville | 33.0 |
35 | Indianola | 34.0 |
36 | Louisville | 34.67 |
37 | Forest | 35.67 |
38 | Hernando | 36.5 |
39 | Corinth | 36.67 |
40 | Meridian | 36.67 |
41 | Senatobia | 36.83 |
42 | Jackson | 37.0 |
43 | Olive Branch | 38.0 |
44 | Madison | 38.0 |
45 | Gautier | 38.5 |
46 | Waveland | 38.67 |
47 | Pearl | 39.33 |
48 | Horn Lake | 39.33 |
49 | Byram | 39.67 |
50 | Philadelphia | 39.67 |
51 | Diamondhead | 40.0 |
52 | Kosciusko | 40.33 |
53 | Laurel | 40.67 |
54 | Southaven | 41.0 |
55 | Petal | 41.67 |
56 | Holly Springs | 41.67 |
57 | Brandon | 41.67 |
58 | Moss Point | 42.67 |
59 | Ripley | 45.0 |
60 | Pontotoc | 46.0 |
61 | Clarksdale | 49.33 |
62 | Aberdeen | 59.33 |