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Living in Mississippi ยท 2026

Is $50,000 enough to live in Mississippi?

Single adult ยท MS ยท 2026 tax brackets ยท Real cost-of-living data

Statewide verdict:Comfortable

Monthly take-home

$3,328

Avg monthly expenses

$1,829

Avg monthly surplus

$1,499

Savings potential

~45%

After-tax take-home in Mississippi

Gross salary$50,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $3,894
State income taxโˆ’ $2,350
Social Securityโˆ’ $3,100
Medicareโˆ’ $725
Annual take-home$39,931
Effective tax rate20.14%

How $50,000 feels in Mississippi cities

Rent: HUD FMR 2026 ยท Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan ร— COL ยท Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES ร— COL

Jackson

COL index: 0.83ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$900
Food
$365
Transport
$145
Utilities
$137
Healthcare
$166
Total: $1,713/mo
Surplus: $1,615/mo
Rent burden: 27.0% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Jackson analysis โ†’

Gulfport

COL index: 0.88ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,000
Food
$387
Transport
$154
Utilities
$145
Healthcare
$176
Total: $1,862/mo
Surplus: $1,466/mo
Rent burden: 30.1% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Gulfport analysis โ†’

Southaven

COL index: 0.91ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,050
Food
$396
Transport
$159
Utilities
$150
Healthcare
$182
Total: $1,937/mo
Surplus: $1,391/mo
Rent burden: 31.6% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Southaven analysis โ†’

Hattiesburg

COL index: 0.85ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$950
Food
$378
Transport
$149
Utilities
$140
Healthcare
$170
Total: $1,787/mo
Surplus: $1,541/mo
Rent burden: 28.5% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Hattiesburg analysis โ†’

Biloxi

COL index: 0.91ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,050
Food
$387
Transport
$159
Utilities
$150
Healthcare
$182
Total: $1,928/mo
Surplus: $1,400/mo
Rent burden: 31.6% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Biloxi analysis โ†’

Meridian

COL index: 0.80ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$850
Food
$466
Transport
$140
Utilities
$132
Healthcare
$160
Total: $1,748/mo
Surplus: $1,580/mo
Rent burden: 25.5% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Meridian analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $3,328 ($39,936/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$1,664

per month

  • โ€บRent / mortgage
  • โ€บGroceries
  • โ€บUtilities
  • โ€บInsurance
  • โ€บMinimum debt payments
  • โ€บTransportation
Wants30%

$998

per month

  • โ€บDining out
  • โ€บStreaming services
  • โ€บGym
  • โ€บHobbies
  • โ€บTravel
  • โ€บShopping
Savings20%

$666

per month

  • โ€บEmergency fund
  • โ€บ401(k) / IRA
  • โ€บInvestments
  • โ€บDown payment fund
  • โ€บDebt payoff (extra)

Needs / year

$19,968

Wants / year

$11,981

Savings / year

$7,987

Salary Intelligence

Moderate salary in Jackson

Rent takes 27% of take-home income, which is above the ideal 25% but still manageable. Savings will be limited; consider lower-cost housing to improve your financial position.

Lifestyle score: 7.5/10 (Very Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $50,000 salary comfortably supports a very good single lifestyle in Jackson, Mississippi, with approximately $1,615/month (~49% of take-home) available for savings โ€” meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.

Purchasing Power

Due to Jackson's low cost of living (index: 0.83), $50,000 here has the purchasing power of roughly $111,446 in San Francisco or $117,470 in New York City. Your dollar goes significantly further here.

State & National Benchmark

$50,000 is 61% above the Mississippi individual median of $31,100 and -11% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$31,100

+61%

State household median

$52,985

-6%

Tax reduction strategies

Maximize 401(k) Contributions โ€” Up to $5,170 in federal tax (22% bracket)
401(k) Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution โ€” Up to $2,775 additional tax savings (37% bracket)

$50,000 vs. Mississippi income benchmarks

Individual median (Mississippi)

$31,100

+61% vs. this salary

Household median (Mississippi)

$52,985

-6% vs. this salary

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023

Related salary insights

Explore other salary levels in Mississippi

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Reviewed by

Finance Editor

CPA, 10+ years in personal finance

Data Sources

Data updated monthly using government datasets.