Jackson, MS vs Portland, OR
Moving from Jackson to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($215,136 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Jackson vs Portland 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 $118,786 in Portland, OR (+$18,786).
Livability — Jackson, MS: 76 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,766 sqft in Jackson vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($105 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jackson, MS | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,400 | $21,564 | +$4,164 |
| Groceries | $4,722 | $5,240 | +$518 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,680 | +$270 |
| Utilities | $1,812 | $1,704 | −$108 |
| Insurance | $3,100 | $900 | −$2,200 |
| Taxes | $8,536 | $14,382 | +$5,847 |
| Total | $38,980 | $47,470 | +$8,490 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jackson, MS | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.8 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.03% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.2% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $215,136 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.6× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $105 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,450 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.07% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.70% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $6,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.42% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,100 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.8 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.90 | 4.10 |
| Natural gas / mo | $58 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $93 | $224 |
| Home internet / mo | $75 | $82 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 34 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 54.9 | 43.7 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.7 | 3.4 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 64% | 48% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |