Moving to Pennsylvania from Mississippi
What to Expect
Considering a move from Mississippi to Pennsylvania? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Mississippi to Pennsylvania, you would find that Pennsylvania is 19.0% more expensive than Mississippi. A $75,000 salary in Mississippi would need to be roughly $89,300 in Pennsylvania to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Harrisburg averages 61°F vs 76°F in Jackson, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Mississippi and Pennsylvania.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $89,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Pennsylvania
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 6.8% more
Groceries
pay 17.6% more
Transportation
pay 2.2% more
Housing
pay 27.2% more
Childcare
pay 99.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.1% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Pennsylvania cost about 5% more than cities in Mississippi.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Pennsylvania compared to Mississippi.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Mississippi generally does better on safety, though Pennsylvania leads in property 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
Pennsylvania performs significantly 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 performs better than Pennsylvania across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Mississippi generally does better on infrastructure, though Pennsylvania leads in internet access.
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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Mississippi across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jackson | Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 62°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 83°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 71°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/70°F (32°/21°C) | 81°/61°F (27°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/46°F (20°/8°C) | 52°/34°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jackson | Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C) | 36°/21°F (2.5°/-5.9°C) |
| Feb | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.1°C) |
| Mar | 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C) | 49°/30°F (9.3°/-0.9°C) |
| Apr | 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C) | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) |
| May | 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C) | 72°/50°F (22.2°/10.1°C) |
| Jun | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.5°C) |
| Jul | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C) | 85°/64°F (29.2°/17.8°C) |
| Aug | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C) | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.0°C) |
| Sep | 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C) | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.8°C) |
| Oct | 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C) | 63°/42°F (17.4°/5.6°C) |
| Nov | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) | 52°/35°F (11.1°/1.6°C) |
| Dec | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) | 40°/26°F (4.4°/-3.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Pennsylvania than Mississippi?
On average Pennsylvania is around 19% pricier than Mississippi, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Pennsylvania?
Budget about $22,325 for 3 months in Pennsylvania (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Pennsylvania safe?
Mississippi generally does better on safety, though Pennsylvania leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Pennsylvania compared to Mississippi?
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Pennsylvania compared to Mississippi?
The average high temperature in Harrisburg is 61°F, compared to 76°F in Jackson. Harrisburg receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Jackson gets 54.3 in.
