Moving to Mississippi from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to Mississippi — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to Mississippi, you would find that Mississippi is 6.3% cheaper than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $73,015 in Mississippi to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Jackson averages 76°F vs 60°F in Des Moines, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to Mississippi.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,015
To maintain the same standard of living in Mississippi
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 11.9% less
Groceries
pay 1.2% more
Transportation
pay 4.9% more
Housing
pay 3.2% more
Childcare
pay 18.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.8% less
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 Iowa and Mississippi stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Mississippi leads in violent crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Iowa performs better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Mississippi generally does better on what about housing?, though Iowa leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa performs better than Mississippi across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Iowa generally does better on employment & economy, though Mississippi leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Iowa 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Jackson |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 62°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 83°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 90°/70°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 67°/46°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Jackson |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Mississippi than Iowa?
Generally yes: Mississippi runs about 3% cheaper than Iowa 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 $18,254 in Mississippi for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Mississippi safe?
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Mississippi leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Mississippi compared to Iowa?
Iowa performs better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Mississippi compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Jackson is 76°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Jackson receives around 54.3 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
