Moving to Mississippi from Ohio

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Ohio to Mississippi, you would find that Mississippi is 7.5% cheaper than Ohio. A $75,000 salary in Ohio would need to be roughly $71,944 in Mississippi to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $71,944

To maintain the same standard of living in Mississippi

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 9.8% less

Groceries

pay 1.4% less

Transportation

pay 17.0% less

Housing

pay 0.6% less

Childcare

pay 18.9% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 7.3% 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 Ohio and Mississippi stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

OH
284
MS
202
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

OH
1676
MS
1579

Mississippi performs significantly better than Ohio across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

OH
6.2%
MS
11.3%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

OH
39.5%
MS
41.9%

Ohio performs better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

OH
$199,200
MS
$161,400
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

OH
$988
MS
$923

Mississippi performs significantly better than Ohio across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

OH
89.0%
MS
82.0%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

OH
24 min
MS
26 min

Ohio performs better than Mississippi across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

OH
4.0%
MS
3.1%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

OH
$60,669
MS
$41,778

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

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

OH
75.3 yrs
MS
71.9 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

OH
21%
MS
16%

Ohio 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.

Columbus Rain: 46.8 in/yr (1188 mm)
76° / 55°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Columbus Jackson
Jan–Mar 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) 62°/41°F (17°/5°C)
Apr–Jun 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) 83°/62°F (28°/17°C)
Jul–Sep 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) 90°/70°F (32°/21°C)
Oct–Dec 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) 67°/46°F (20°/8°C)
View all months
Month Columbus Jackson
Jan 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C)
Feb 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C)
Mar 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C)
Apr 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C)
May 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C)
Jun 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C)
Jul 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C)
Aug 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C)
Sep 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C)
Oct 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C)
Nov 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C)
Dec 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°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 Ohio?

Generally yes: Mississippi runs about 4% cheaper than Ohio 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 $17,986 in Mississippi for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Mississippi safe?

Mississippi performs significantly better than Ohio across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Mississippi compared to Ohio?

Ohio performs better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.

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

The average high temperature in Jackson is 76°F, compared to 76°F in Columbus. Jackson receives around 54.3 in of rainfall per year, while Columbus gets 46.8 in.

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