Is Bowling Green cheaper than Hattiesburg?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bowling Green and Hattiesburg metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Bowling Green or Hattiesburg?

Bowling Green has the higher median household income — $65,869 versus $61,871 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Bowling Green or Hattiesburg?

A paycheck stretches further in Bowling Green. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $73,043 there versus $70,602 in Hattiesburg.

Which has cheaper rent, Bowling Green or Hattiesburg?

Bowling Green has cheaper rent — a median of $1,024/mo versus $1,096/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Bowling Green vs Hattiesburg

Metro-area medians — Bowling Green, KY Metro Area vs Hattiesburg, MS Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Bowling Green comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Bowling Green and Hattiesburg cost about the same to live in, but Bowling Green households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Bowling Green.

Their widest everyday difference: Bowling Green has the tighter job market — 4.3% unemployment versus 5.5%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Bowling Green, KY

$58,444

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$64,809

real value after local prices

Hattiesburg, MS

$58,555

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$66,818

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Hattiesburg leaves you about $2,009/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Bowling Green

Hattiesburg

Livability (CityLedger)

41/100

37/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

90.2

87.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$73,043

$70,602

Median household income

$65,869

$61,871

Median rent

$1,024/mo

$1,096/mo

Median home value

$258,900

$216,100

Unemployment

4.3%

5.5%

Bachelor's degree or higher

27.1%

32.9%

Average commute

21.4 min

22.4 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

59°F

67°F

Choose Bowling Green for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Bowling Green profile →

Choose Hattiesburg for

+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Hattiesburg profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Bowling Green and Hattiesburg on cost, income, size, and education.

Bowling Green vs Abilene→Bowling Green vs Valdosta→Bowling Green vs Las Cruces→Hattiesburg vs Greenville→Hattiesburg vs Las Cruces→Hattiesburg vs Valdosta→

Bowling Green vs Hattiesburg — frequently asked

Is Bowling Green cheaper than Hattiesburg?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bowling Green and Hattiesburg metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Bowling Green or Hattiesburg?: Bowling Green has the higher median household income — $65,869 versus $61,871 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Bowling Green or Hattiesburg?: A paycheck stretches further in Bowling Green. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $73,043 there versus $70,602 in Hattiesburg.
Which has cheaper rent, Bowling Green or Hattiesburg?: Bowling Green has cheaper rent — a median of $1,024/mo versus $1,096/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).