Jackson, MS vs San Juan, PR
Moving from Jackson to San Juan? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($215,136 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Jackson vs San Juan 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 $111,313 in San Juan, PR (+$11,313).
Livability — Jackson, MS: 76 · San Juan, PR: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,766 sqft in Jackson vs 2,500 sqft in San Juan ($105 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jackson, MS | San Juan, PR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,400 | $18,000 | +$600 |
| Groceries | $4,722 | $5,000 | +$278 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $2,960 | −$450 |
| Utilities | $1,812 | $1,728 | −$84 |
| Insurance | $3,100 | $1,200 | −$1,900 |
| Taxes | $8,536 | $37,720 | +$29,185 |
| Total | $38,980 | $66,608 | +$27,628 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jackson, MS | San Juan, PR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.8 | 100.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.03% | 13.00% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.2% | -5.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $5.69 |
| Median home price | $215,136 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.6× | 13.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $105 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,450 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 11.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.07% | 11.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.70% | 33.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $5,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.42% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,100 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $1,300 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.8 | 16.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.90 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 72 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |