Moving from Kentucky to Mississippi
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Kentucky and Mississippi, side by side.
Moving to Mississippi costs about
-$90/mo
less than Kentucky each month, renting
Worth knowing
The move pays for itself in about 23 months
Moving costs somewhere around $2,024, and Mississippi runs about $90 a month cheaper. After roughly 23 months you are ahead.
Kentucky vs Mississippi at a glance
| Kentucky | Mississippi | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $205,600 | $169,800 |
| Median rent | $967/mo | $954/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.50% | Up to 4.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% | 0.72% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 96 |
| Utilities | 75 | 78 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | KY | MS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $967 | $954 | -$13 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $224 | $206 | -$18 |
| Local income tax (state average)Biggest factor | $89 | None | -$89 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $86 | $100 | +$14 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,759 | $1,764 | +$5 |
| Utilities | $308 | $320 | +$13 |
| Total | -$90 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,700 to $4,000
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $350 to $600, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Louisville is not Kentucky-average and Jackson is not Mississippi-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.