States › Mississippi › Columbia

Is Columbia, MS expensive to live in?

OKRent takes 25 cents of every $1 people earn here.
🏠 Rent per month (2026)$84852% lower than U.S. average
💵 Families earn per year (2026)$41,530about $3,461/month · 52% lower than U.S. average
🔑 House price$131,70060% lower than U.S. average

Rent here is among the lowest 10% of all U.S. cities. A typical house costs about 3.2 years of household income.

How much money do I need?

To rent here comfortably, you should earn about $33,920 a year. That is $16 an hour at a full-time job.

Is rent cheaper than other Mississippi cities?

Yes. Rent here is cheaper than in most of Mississippi. It is number 11 of 66 cities from cheapest to most expensive.

Columbia
$848
Holly Springs
$813
West Hattiesburg
$912
Latimer
$1,181
Amory
$878
Kosciusko
$682
Philadelphia
$832

How much do households earn in Columbia?

Under $25k
33.3%
$25k–50k
36.3%
$50k–100k
18.1%
$100k–150k
6.0%
$150k+
1.7%

Share of households by yearly income. 7.7% of households earn $100,000 or more.

Rent by apartment size in Columbia

SizeColumbiaU.S. average
1 bedroom$549$1,324
2 bedrooms$947$1,509
3 bedrooms$848$1,698

Median monthly rent plus utilities for all renters, by number of bedrooms.

How expensive is Columbia overall?

Everyday prices in Mississippi overall are 13% below the U.S. average (index 87.0, U.S. = 100).

Housing
56
Goods (food, clothes…)
96
Utilities
78
Other services
96
U.S. average
100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024. City-level data is not published for Columbia, so the Mississippi figure is shown.

Taxes and bills in Columbia

🏛️ Property tax$1,274a year · 0.97% of home value · U.S. $3,119
⚡ Electric bill$179a month (typical) · U.S. $156

Life in Columbia

Commute to work20.3 minU.S.: 26.4 min
College degree14.8%U.S.: 35.7%
Own their home63.4%U.S.: 65.2%
Below poverty line24.5%U.S.: 12.5%
Unemployment8.3%U.S.: 5.2%

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Columbia?

Renting is cheaper right now: about $66 a month less.

Renting
$848
Owning
$914

Owning assumes a typical $131,700 home, 10% down, a 30-year loan at 6.5% and about 1.5% a year for taxes and insurance. You would also need $13,170 for the down payment.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average rent in Columbia, MS?

Renting in Columbia costs a median of about $848 a month in 2026, including utilities. The Mississippi median is $1,187.

How much do I need to make to live in Columbia?

To keep rent under 30% of income, you need about $33,920 a year, or $16 an hour at a full-time job.

Is Columbia cheap or expensive?

Columbia is rated OK: rent takes 24.5% of the typical household income of $41,530. It ranks 11th cheapest of 66 Mississippi cities we track.

How much are property taxes in Columbia?

The median homeowner in Columbia pays $1,274 a year in property taxes, about 0.97% of the median home value.

Is Columbia more expensive than the national average?

Overall prices in Mississippi are 13% below the U.S. average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

How much does a house cost in Columbia?

The median home value in Columbia is $131,700, about 3.2 times the typical yearly household income.

6,632 people live in Columbia. Numbers are typical (middle) values.