?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Hattiesburg, MS vs Meridian, MS

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Hattiesburg needs about $81,500 in Meridian to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Meridian, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $88,500 in Hattiesburg.

A few differences

Hattiesburg vs Meridian · facet by facet
FacetHattiesburg, MSMeridian, MS
Median home price$165,900$107,900
2-bedroom rent$1,058/mo$940/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax3.89%3.89%
Sales tax7.07%7.07%
Cost of living index7772
Groceries index9595
Utilities$175/mo$175/mo
Median household income$46,342$36,562
Unemployment rate3.5%3.5%
Crime index55/10055/100
School rating4.5/104.5/10
Sunny days / year215 days215 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Hattiesburg, MS · Meridian, MS
Questions & answers
Is Hattiesburg cheaper than Meridian?
Meridian has the lower day-to-day cost index (72 vs 77 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Meridian equals $85,000 in Hattiesburg?
A household earning $85,000 in Hattiesburg needs about $81,500 in Meridian to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Meridian lifestyle costs about $88,500 in Hattiesburg.