Moving to Mississippi from Virginia

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Virginia to Mississippi, you would find that Mississippi is 22.8% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $56,152 in Mississippi to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $56,152

To maintain the same standard of living in Mississippi

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 23.3% less

Groceries

pay 24.2% less

Transportation

pay 14.7% less

Housing

pay 19.7% less

Childcare

pay 45.6% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 22.3% 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 Virginia 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

VA
232
MS
202
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

VA
1628
MS
1579

Mississippi performs significantly better than Virginia across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

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

share of people without health insurance

VA
6.7%
MS
11.3%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

VA
35.3%
MS
41.9%

Virginia 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

VA
$360,700
MS
$161,400
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

VA
$1,514
MS
$923

Mississippi performs significantly better than Virginia 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

VA
90.1%
MS
82.0%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

VA
28 min
MS
26 min

Virginia generally does better on infrastructure, though Mississippi leads in average commute.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

VA
3.4%
MS
3.1%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

VA
$69,111
MS
$41,778

Virginia 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

VA
77.6 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

VA
28%
MS
16%

Virginia 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.

Richmond Rain: 43.6 in/yr (1108 mm)
70° / 48°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Richmond Jackson
Jan–Mar 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) 62°/41°F (17°/5°C)
Apr–Jun 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) 83°/62°F (28°/17°C)
Jul–Sep 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) 90°/70°F (32°/21°C)
Oct–Dec 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) 67°/46°F (20°/8°C)
View all months
Month Richmond Jackson
Jan 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C)
Feb 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C)
Mar 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C)
Apr 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C)
May 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C)
Jun 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C)
Jul 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C)
Aug 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C)
Sep 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C)
Oct 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C)
Nov 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C)
Dec 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°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 Virginia?

Generally yes: Mississippi runs about 25% cheaper than Virginia 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 $14,038 in Mississippi for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Mississippi safe?

Mississippi performs significantly better than Virginia across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Mississippi compared to Virginia?

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

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

The average high temperature in Jackson is 76°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Jackson receives around 54.3 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.

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