Cost Of Living in West Hattiesburg, MS

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8%

Overall NAT. AVG.

4%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

17%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	West Hattiesburg	Mississippi	National
Cost of living	92	83	100
Goods & Services	97	92	100
Groceries	97	97	100
Health care	106	98	100
Housing	83	63	100
Transportation	93	88	100
Utilities	89	86	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in West Hattiesburg is 10% higher than the Mississippi average
The cost of living in West Hattiesburg is 8% lower than the national average
West Hattiesburg housing is 17% lower than the national average
Mississippi general sales tax is 37% higher than the national average
Mississippi state income tax is 93% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$72,270	$6,023	$1,686	$2,168
Renters	$20,028	$1,669	$467	$601

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in West Hattiesburg, MS, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In West Hattiesburg, the median monthly income is $72,270 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,686 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $20,028, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $467 on monthly rental expenses.

Mississippi Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Mississippi	7%	7.25%

Mississippi Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Mississippi	5%	5%

Goods & Services

Item	West Hattiesburg	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$24.75	$24.26	2.0%
Beauty Salon	$45.72	$45.56	0.4%
Toothpaste	$3.59	$3.70	3.0%
Shampoo	$1.17	$1.28	8.4%
Movie	$10.62	$12.13	12.4%
Bowling	$17.33	$18.00	3.7%

Groceries

Item	West Hattiesburg	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.76	$5.84	1.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.74	$1.57	10.7%
Milk	$4.55	$4.67	2.5%
Potatoes	$5.16	$4.93	4.6%
Pizza	$11.24	$12.09	7.0%
Beer	$9.16	$10.41	12.0%

Health Care

Item	West Hattiesburg	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$122.28	$125.68	2.7%
Doctor	$128.94	$135.78	5.0%
Dentist	$138.76	$113.29	22.5%
Ibuprofen	$10.07	$10.65	5.4%
Lipitor	$491.22	$468.60	4.8%

Housing

Item	West Hattiesburg	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$151,800.00	$184,700.00	17.8%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,663.88	$2,346.69	29.1%
Apartment Rent	$813.00	$949.00	14.3%

Transportation

Item	West Hattiesburg	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.08	$3.46	11.0%
Tire Balancing	$60.67	$59.92	1.2%

Utilities

Item	West Hattiesburg	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$162.85	$193.99	16.1%
Phone	$187.62	$192.25	2.4%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Rawls Springs, MS	1,708	81	18.8%
Purvis, MS	2,198	86	13.5%
Hattiesburg, MS	46,010	87	12.9%
Glendale, MS	1,483	88	12.1%
Petal, MS	10,624	90	9.6%
West Hattiesburg, MS	5,944	92	8.2%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Fort Lee, VA	5,944	124	23.9%
Southold, NY	5,946	162	61.6%
Kingston, TN	5,946	90	9.7%
Geneva, OH	5,947	87	13.4%
Columbia, MS	5,940	81	18.5%
West Hattiesburg, MS	5,944	92	8.2%