Rent Affordability for An Elementary School Teacher in Mississippi

A typical elementary school teacher in Mississippi earns about $54,335 a year, which supports approximately $1,358 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Mississippi city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 4 of 29 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 25 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Purvis, MS$1,000/mo22.1%affordable
Pascagoula, MS$1,166/mo25.8%affordable
Moss Point, MS$1,242/mo27.4%affordable
Jackson, MS$1,270/mo28%affordable
Tupelo, MS$1,381/mo30.5%stretched
Biloxi, MS$1,386/mo30.6%stretched
Columbus, MS$1,388/mo30.7%stretched
Diberville, MS$1,392/mo30.7%stretched
Long Beach, MS$1,410/mo31.1%stretched
Byram, MS$1,408/mo31.1%stretched
Hattiesburg, MS$1,417/mo31.3%stretched
Meridian, MS$1,423/mo31.4%stretched
Ridgeland, MS$1,451/mo32%stretched
Gautier, MS$1,473/mo32.5%stretched
Bay Saint Louis, MS$1,475/mo32.6%stretched
Gulfport, MS$1,486/mo32.8%stretched
Pearl, MS$1,487/mo32.8%stretched
Flowood, MS$1,515/mo33.5%stretched
Gulf Hills, MS$1,531/mo33.8%stretched
Southaven, MS$1,540/mo34%stretched
Horn Lake, MS$1,571/mo34.7%stretched
Starkville, MS$1,571/mo34.7%stretched
Clinton, MS$1,587/mo35%stretched
Ocean Springs, MS$1,723/mo38.1%stretched
Brandon, MS$1,857/mo41%rent-burdened
Olive Branch, MS$1,896/mo41.9%rent-burdened
Oxford, MS$2,108/mo46.6%rent-burdened
Hernando, MS$2,261/mo49.9%rent-burdened
Madison, MS$2,422/mo53.5%severely rent-burdened
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for Mississippi. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).