Jackson, MS vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Jackson to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($215,136 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Jackson vs Philadelphia 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 $113,943 in Philadelphia, PA (+$13,943).
Livability — Jackson, MS: 76 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,766 sqft in Jackson vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($105 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jackson, MS | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,400 | $22,968 | +$5,568 |
| Groceries | $4,722 | $4,909 | +$187 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,440 | +$30 |
| Utilities | $1,812 | $2,316 | +$504 |
| Insurance | $3,100 | $1,200 | −$1,900 |
| Taxes | $8,536 | $10,192 | +$1,657 |
| Total | $38,980 | $45,025 | +$6,045 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jackson, MS | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.8 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.03% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.2% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $215,136 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.6× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $105 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,450 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.07% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.70% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $6,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.42% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,100 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.8 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.90 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |