Moving to Mississippi from South Carolina
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from South Carolina to Mississippi — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from South Carolina to Mississippi, you would find that Mississippi is 16.2% cheaper than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $62,900 in Mississippi to maintain the same lifestyle. Charleston and Jackson are about 600 mi apart.
Is Mississippi cheaper than South Carolina?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 9.9% less
Groceries
pay 24.2% less
Transportation
pay 8.8% more
Housing
pay 26.4% less
Childcare
pay 23.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.2% 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.
What salary do you need in Mississippi?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $62,900
To maintain the same standard of living in Mississippi
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from South Carolina to Mississippi.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Mississippi performs significantly better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
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
South Carolina 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 South Carolina leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
South Carolina 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
South Carolina 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
South Carolina performs 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
Weather in Mississippi vs South Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Jackson |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 62°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 83°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 90°/70°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 67°/46°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Jackson |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Mississippi than South Carolina?
Yes — Mississippi is on average about 16% cheaper than South Carolina. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Mississippi?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $15,725 in Mississippi on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Mississippi safe?
Mississippi performs significantly better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Mississippi compared to South Carolina?
South Carolina performs better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Mississippi compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Jackson is 76°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Jackson receives around 54.3 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
