Moving to Mississippi from Arkansas

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Arkansas to Mississippi — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Arkansas to Mississippi, you would find that Mississippi is 4.7% cheaper than Arkansas. A $75,000 salary in Arkansas would need to be roughly $73,054 in Mississippi to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Arkansas to Mississippi.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $73,054

To maintain the same standard of living in Mississippi

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 16.6% less

Groceries

pay 3.8% more

Transportation

pay 10.3% more

Housing

pay 6.2% less

Childcare

pay 13.6% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 10.4% less

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Arkansas and Mississippi stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AR
610
MS
202
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AR
2195
MS
1579

Mississippi performs significantly better than Arkansas across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

AR
8.6%
MS
11.3%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

AR
38.3%
MS
41.9%

Arkansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Mississippi leads in adult smoking rate.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

AR
$175,300
MS
$161,400
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

AR
$914
MS
$923

Mississippi generally does better on what about housing?, though Arkansas leads in median rent.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

AR
84.9%
MS
82.0%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

AR
22 min
MS
26 min

Arkansas performs better than Mississippi across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

AR
4.2%
MS
3.1%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

AR
$47,319
MS
$41,778

Arkansas generally does better on employment & economy, though Mississippi leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

AR
73.8 yrs
MS
71.9 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

AR
16%
MS
16%

Arkansas performs better than Mississippi across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Little RockRain: 50.0 in/yr (1271 mm)
72°/53°F

Avg. annual high / low

JacksonRain: 54.3 in/yr (1380 mm)
76°/55°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsLittle RockJackson
Jan–Mar56°/38°F (13°/3°C)62°/41°F (17°/5°C)
Apr–Jun80°/61°F (27°/16°C)83°/62°F (28°/17°C)
Jul–Sep89°/70°F (32°/21°C)90°/70°F (32°/21°C)
Oct–Dec62°/44°F (17°/7°C)67°/46°F (20°/8°C)
View all months
MonthLittle RockJackson
Jan49°/33°F (9.7°/0.4°C)56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C)
Feb54°/36°F (12.4°/2.4°C)61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C)
Mar64°/44°F (17.6°/6.8°C)68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C)
Apr73°/53°F (22.7°/11.6°C)76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C)
May80°/62°F (26.8°/16.4°C)83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C)
Jun88°/69°F (31.2°/20.7°C)89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C)
Jul92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C)92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C)
Aug92°/72°F (33.3°/22.2°C)92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C)
Sep84°/65°F (29.1°/18.1°C)87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C)
Oct73°/54°F (23.0°/12.3°C)77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C)
Nov62°/44°F (16.5°/6.6°C)67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C)
Dec51°/35°F (10.7°/1.7°C)58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Mississippi than Arkansas?

Generally yes: Mississippi runs about 3% cheaper than Arkansas on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Mississippi?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,264 in Mississippi for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Mississippi safe?

Mississippi performs significantly better than Arkansas across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Mississippi compared to Arkansas?

Arkansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Mississippi leads in adult smoking rate.

What's the weather like in Mississippi compared to Arkansas?

The average high temperature in Jackson is 76°F, compared to 72°F in Little Rock. Jackson receives around 54.3 in of rainfall per year, while Little Rock gets 50.0 in.

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