Tampa, FL vs Gulfport, MS
Moving from Tampa to Gulfport? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($360,738 → $224,666 median home) and taxes.
Tampa vs Gulfport 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 Tampa, FL, you'd need about $86,734 in Gulfport, MS (−$13,266).
Livability — Tampa, FL: 65 · Gulfport, MS: 77 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,564 sqft in Tampa vs 4,562 sqft in Gulfport ($195 vs $110 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tampa, FL | Gulfport, MS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,216 | $17,076 | −$7,140 |
| Groceries | $4,949 | $4,722 | −$226 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,410 | −$1,390 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,812 | +$156 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $3,100 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $4,642 | $8,466 | +$3,824 |
| Total | $44,463 | $38,586 | −$5,877 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tampa, FL | Gulfport, MS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 88.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.92% | 8.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.3% | 7.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.06 |
| Median home price | $360,738 | $224,666 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.4% | 0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $110 |
| Median rent | $2,018 | $1,423 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 9.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 7.07% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.70% |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 0.73% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.42% |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $3,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 16.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 2.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |