State comparison
Mississippi vs Alabama: which state is better to live in?
Mississippi costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Alabama, mostly because its income tax takes 3.5% of a median income against 4.9% in Alabama.
Mississippi
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 8 categories
Alabama
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Mississippi vs Alabama
Mississippi has a flat 4.7% income tax, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,583 a year. Alabama has a graduated income tax topping out at 5%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,689 a year. Mississippi wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.64% of home value a year in Mississippi and 0.39% in Alabama (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,152 against $850, so Alabama has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.07% in Mississippi and 9.22% in Alabama; Mississippi is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,317 a year in Mississippi, $6,602 in Alabama. Mississippi is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Mississippi's cost of living index is 82 and Alabama's is 87, where 100 is the national average; Mississippi is about 6% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $180K in Mississippi and $218K in Alabama (Zillow, 2024), a $38K gap in Mississippi's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $950 a month in Mississippi and $1,050 in Alabama.
Home insurance averages $2,500 a year in Mississippi and $2,400 in Alabama, so Alabama is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 283 incidents per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 547 in Alabama (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Mississippi is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 93% lower. Property crime is 2,080 per 100,000 in Mississippi against 2,247 in Alabama, again favoring Mississippi.
Health
Life expectancy is 71.9 years in Mississippi and 73.2 in Alabama (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.3-year edge for Alabama. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Mississippi's health system 47th of 50 and Alabama's 41st, so Alabama scores better on care.
16.8% of Mississippi residents have no health insurance against 11.2% in Alabama, which favors Alabama. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi's K-12 schools 50th in the country and Alabama's 44th, 6 places apart in Alabama's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Mississippi went to Trump by 17 points and Alabama went to Trump by 28 points.
Mississippi has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Alabama has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Mississippi and $7.25 in Alabama.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Mississippi (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Alabama (tornado, flood), so Alabama is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Mississippi and 38 in Alabama (under 50 is good), favoring Mississippi.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
8
Mississippi
6
Alabama
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Mississippi or Alabama better to live in?
Mississippi wins more of the measures that decide a move. Mississippi on taxes ($5,317 a year for a median household against $6,602); Mississippi on everyday costs (index 82 against 87); Mississippi on safety (283 violent crimes per 100,000 against 547); Alabama on schools (ranked 44th against 50th).
Which is cheaper, Mississippi or Alabama?
Mississippi is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 87. The median home is $180K in Mississippi and $218K in Alabama (2024). On state and local taxes Mississippi saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does Mississippi or Alabama have lower taxes?
Mississippi. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,317 a year in Mississippi ($2,583 income tax, $1,152 property tax on the median home and $1,582 in sales tax) and $6,602 in Alabama ($3,689 income tax, $850 property tax on the median home and $2,063 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Mississippi or Alabama?
Mississippi, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 283 per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 547 in Alabama; property crime is 2,080 against 2,247.
Which has better schools, Mississippi or Alabama?
Alabama. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi 50th of 50 for K-12 and Alabama 44th.
Is Mississippi or Alabama better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Mississippi does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Alabama does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,152 a year in Mississippi and $850 in Alabama.