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Living in Mississippi ยท 2026

Is $60,000 enough to live in Mississippi?

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

Statewide verdict:Very comfortable

Monthly take-home

$3,958

Avg monthly expenses

$1,829

Avg monthly surplus

$2,129

Savings potential

~54%

After-tax take-home in Mississippi

Gross salary$60,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $5,094
State income taxโˆ’ $2,820
Social Securityโˆ’ $3,720
Medicareโˆ’ $870
Annual take-home$47,496
Effective tax rate20.84%

How $60,000 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: $2,245/mo
Rent burden: 22.7% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Jackson analysis โ†’

Gulfport

COL index: 0.88ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,000
Food
$387
Transport
$154
Utilities
$145
Healthcare
$176
Total: $1,862/mo
Surplus: $2,096/mo
Rent burden: 25.3% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Gulfport analysis โ†’

Southaven

COL index: 0.91ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,050
Food
$396
Transport
$159
Utilities
$150
Healthcare
$182
Total: $1,937/mo
Surplus: $2,021/mo
Rent burden: 26.5% 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: $2,171/mo
Rent burden: 24.0% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Hattiesburg analysis โ†’

Biloxi

COL index: 0.91ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,050
Food
$387
Transport
$159
Utilities
$150
Healthcare
$182
Total: $1,928/mo
Surplus: $2,030/mo
Rent burden: 26.5% 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: $2,210/mo
Rent burden: 21.5% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Meridian analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $3,958 ($47,496/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$1,979

per month

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

$1,187

per month

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

$792

per month

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

Needs / year

$23,748

Wants / year

$14,249

Savings / year

$9,499

Salary Intelligence

Good salary in Jackson

Rent represents 23% of take-home income โ€” comfortably within the recommended 25% guideline. This is a solid salary for this location.

Lifestyle score: 7.8/10 (Very Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $60,000 salary comfortably supports a very good single lifestyle in Jackson, Mississippi, with approximately $2,245/month (~57% 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), $60,000 here has the purchasing power of roughly $133,735 in San Francisco or $140,964 in New York City. Your dollar goes significantly further here.

State & National Benchmark

$60,000 is 93% above the Mississippi individual median of $31,100 and 7% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$31,100

+93%

State household median

$52,985

+13%

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)

$60,000 vs. Mississippi income benchmarks

Individual median (Mississippi)

$31,100

+93% vs. this salary

Household median (Mississippi)

$52,985

+13% 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.