Jackson, MS vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Jackson to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($215,136 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Jackson vs St. Louis 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 $105,717 in St. Louis, MO (+$5,717).
Livability — Jackson, MS: 76 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,766 sqft in Jackson vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($105 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jackson, MS | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,400 | $17,412 | +$12 |
| Groceries | $4,722 | $4,934 | +$212 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,390 | −$20 |
| Utilities | $1,812 | $1,512 | −$300 |
| Insurance | $3,100 | $2,400 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $8,536 | $10,488 | +$1,953 |
| Total | $38,980 | $40,136 | +$1,157 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jackson, MS | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.8 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.03% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.2% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $215,136 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.6× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $105 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,450 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.07% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.70% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $6,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.42% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,100 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.8 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.90 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |