Is Jackson cheaper than Montgomery?

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

Which has higher household income, Jackson or Montgomery?

Montgomery has the higher median household income — $66,706 versus $64,835 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Jackson or Montgomery?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($72,809 versus $74,381).

Which has cheaper rent, Jackson or Montgomery?

Jackson has cheaper rent — a median of $1,100/mo versus $1,141/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Jackson vs Montgomery

Metro-area medians — Jackson, MS Metro Area vs Montgomery, AL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Montgomery comes out ahead, winning 3 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Jackson and Montgomery are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

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

Jackson, MS

$58,555

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$65,756

real value after local prices

Montgomery, AL

$57,754

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$64,398

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Jackson leaves you about $1,358/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

Jackson

Montgomery

Livability (CityLedger)

39/100

47/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

89.0

89.7

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$72,809

$74,381

Median household income

$64,835

$66,706

Median rent

$1,100/mo

$1,141/mo

Median home value

$210,000

$220,500

Unemployment

4.8%

3.5%

Bachelor's degree or higher

32.5%

33.2%

Average commute

24.9 min

24.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

66°F

Choose Jackson for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value

Full Jackson profile →

Choose Montgomery for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Unemployment
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Montgomery profile →

Jackson vs Montgomery — frequently asked

Is Jackson cheaper than Montgomery?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Jackson and Montgomery metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Jackson or Montgomery?: Montgomery has the higher median household income — $66,706 versus $64,835 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Jackson or Montgomery?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($72,809 versus $74,381).
Which has cheaper rent, Jackson or Montgomery?: Jackson has cheaper rent — a median of $1,100/mo versus $1,141/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).