Jackson, MS vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Jackson to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($215,136 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Jackson vs Virginia Beach 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 $108,777 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$8,777).
Livability — Jackson, MS: 76 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,766 sqft in Jackson vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($105 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jackson, MS | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,400 | $22,344 | +$4,944 |
| Groceries | $4,722 | $4,853 | +$131 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,080 | −$330 |
| Utilities | $1,812 | $1,872 | +$60 |
| Insurance | $3,100 | $1,500 | −$1,600 |
| Taxes | $8,536 | $10,303 | +$1,767 |
| Total | $38,980 | $43,952 | +$4,972 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jackson, MS | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.8 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.03% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.2% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $215,136 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.6× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $105 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,450 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.07% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.70% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $6,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.42% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,100 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.8 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.90 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |