Is Hattiesburg cheaper than Valdosta?

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

Which has higher household income, Hattiesburg or Valdosta?

Hattiesburg has the higher median household income — $61,871 versus $59,180 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Hattiesburg or Valdosta?

A paycheck stretches further in Hattiesburg. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,602 there versus $67,044 in Valdosta.

Which has cheaper rent, Hattiesburg or Valdosta?

Rents are close — $1,096/mo in the Hattiesburg metro versus $1,092/mo in Valdosta (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Hattiesburg vs Valdosta

Metro-area medians — Hattiesburg, MS Metro Area vs Valdosta, GA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Hattiesburg comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Hattiesburg and Valdosta cost about the same to live in, but Hattiesburg households earn about 5% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Hattiesburg.

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

Hattiesburg, MS

$58,555

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$66,818

real value after local prices

Valdosta, GA

$58,044

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,756

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Hattiesburg leaves you about $1,062/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

Hattiesburg

Valdosta

Livability (CityLedger)

37/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

87.6

88.3

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,602

$67,044

Median household income

$61,871

$59,180

Median rent

$1,096/mo

$1,092/mo

Median home value

$216,100

$226,600

Unemployment

5.5%

3.7%

Bachelor's degree or higher

32.9%

28.3%

Average commute

22.4 min

21 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

67°F

Choose Hattiesburg for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Hattiesburg profile →

Choose Valdosta for

+ Unemployment
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Valdosta profile →

Hattiesburg vs Valdosta — frequently asked

Is Hattiesburg cheaper than Valdosta?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Hattiesburg and Valdosta metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Hattiesburg or Valdosta?: Hattiesburg has the higher median household income — $61,871 versus $59,180 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Hattiesburg or Valdosta?: A paycheck stretches further in Hattiesburg. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,602 there versus $67,044 in Valdosta.
Which has cheaper rent, Hattiesburg or Valdosta?: Rents are close — $1,096/mo in the Hattiesburg metro versus $1,092/mo in Valdosta (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).