Jackson, MS vs Boston, MA
Moving from Jackson to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($215,136 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Jackson vs Boston at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Jackson, MS, you'd need about $122,881 in Boston, MA (+$22,881).
Livability — Jackson, MS: 76 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,766 sqft in Jackson vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($105 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jackson, MS | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,400 | $38,532 | +$21,132 |
| Groceries | $4,722 | $5,040 | +$318 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,210 | −$200 |
| Utilities | $1,812 | $3,180 | +$1,368 |
| Insurance | $3,100 | $1,800 | −$1,300 |
| Taxes | $8,536 | $17,694 | +$9,158 |
| Total | $38,980 | $69,455 | +$30,476 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jackson, MS | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.8 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.03% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.2% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $215,136 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.6× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $105 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,450 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.07% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.70% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $6,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.42% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,100 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.8 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.90 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |