8 Most Affordable Towns to Retire in Mississippi
Mississippi is often ranked among the most affordable states in the country. The median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the capital city of Jackson, for example, sits around $1,000, and in Tupelo, Mississippi, it is only $800. The Magnolia State also exempts all retirement income from taxation, including Social Security benefits. Discover the eight most affordable towns to retire in Mississippi. All but one boast a home median listing price of less than $200,000.
Greenville
Boasting a median home listing price of just $123,700, Greenville, the state’s largest river port, easily qualifies to be ranked among the most affordable towns to retire in Mississippi. Greenville is in the Mississippi Delta, about 115 miles northwest of Jackson. In addition, Greenville hosts the Delta Regional Medical Center, so there is no need to worry about access to healthcare. This town stages the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival every September, which is the longest continuously running blues festival in Mississippi.
Retirees will love the fact Greenville is home to scenic and peaceful outdoor spots such as the Greenville Cypress Preserve, the Warfield Point Park, which features a nice campground, and Lake Ferguson, a beautiful, ten-mile oxbow lake.
Grenada
Grenada’s median home listing price stands at $168,000, an excellent price point — even for Mississippi. While a retiree here can access UMMC Grenada Hospital in a heartbeat, the highly-rated Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford is less than an hour’s drive away. Retirement here comes with living close to the water since Grenada Lake, which boasts some of the best fishing opportunities in the state, will be at your doorstep.
This town lies along the Yalobusha River and scores big on outdoor fun and adventure. Residents can enjoy renting a rustic cabin at the Hugh White State Park to get a little more intimate with nature. Chakchiuma Swamp spans 300 acres, is an easy stroll from the town square, and, with its oxbow lakes, is an excellent spot for paddling away an afternoon.
West Point
In these hard times, it does not make sense to splash more than $700,000 on a house. Fortunately, the median listing price of homes in West Point stands at only $177,000. Yet, you will not be in the middle of nowhere. North Mississippi Medical Center is right in town and is affiliated with North Mississippi Health Services, a previous recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. For even more options, Columbus and Starkville are right next door. These three towns form the famous Golden Triangle industrial region.
The median age here is 37, and residents aged 65 and above comprise 20% of the town’s population. A golfer’s paradise, West Pomt hosts both Mossy Oaks and Old Waverly Golf clubs, some of the finest courses in the state. Plus, the Prairie Arts Festival enlivens the town every summer and is something to always look forward to.
Columbia
Home to less than 6,000 residents, Columbia is another excellent budget-friendly Mississippi retirement venue. The median listing home price in Columbia — as of February 2024 — stood at an affordable $176,800. A retiree here will be about 40 minutes from a train station (Hattiesburg), about an hour and a half from an international airport, and a heartbeat away from outdoor venues such as Red Bluff (The Grand Canyon of Mississippi), the Pearl River, and an 84-acre lake that lends the town its name.
Plus, Columbia Water Park is nestled on the Pearl River — and is an incredibly beautiful camping venue. Regarding healthcare access, Marion General Hospital is right in town and meets the medical needs of residents. Finally, Columbia boasts a median age of 40, and residents aged 65 and above comprise 22% of its population.
McComb
Since homes in McComb are listed for a median price of just $127,900, it can make for an excellent retirement venue, especially for retirees who want to stretch a dollar. This town is family-oriented and incredibly friendly. As an empty nester, you will feel at home and part of a family. Mc Comb hosts the largest community college in the state, making it enticingly vibrant and accommodating. In spring, retirees can enroll in one of Macomb Community College’s sixty personal enrichment courses offered via the Macomb Organization for Retiree Enrichment (MORE) program. If a bit under the weather, Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, which is right in town, will come in handy.
Boasting a median age of 36, a retiree will enjoy mingling with a young crowd here and will retain his child-like sparkle. The Percy E Quin State Park features hiking trails, a campground, and heart-melting views of Lake Tangipahoa. Although temporarily closed, the McComb Railroad Museum has a nostalgic step-back-into-time feel and will excite history lovers. Alternatively, the Black History Gallery may come in handy.
Greenwood
Greenwood is a Delta River town that brims with numerous cultural offerings and historic sites. Because it boasts more than 60 vintage four-way traffic signals, more than any other city on Earth, Greenwood has been called the Historic stoplight capital of the world. Homes in Greenwood fetch a median listing price of just $138,000, earning it a spot among the most affordable towns to retire in the Magnolia State. Retiring here comes with being close to Mississippi Valley State University, where a retiree can enroll free of charge for a course of their choice provided they meet certain conditions. Plus, this region is among the birthplaces of blues music.
A retiree will enjoy exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail, including the gravesite of Robert Johnson, the final resting place for the King of the Delta Blues. Once in a while, one will want to toast to a life well lived at The Winery at Williams Landing, a popular artisanal winery in the town’s precincts. One can even enroll in a cooking class at the Viking Cooking School and learn how to whip up delicious meals — and enjoy all the flavors and aromas of meals — hitherto experienced on the go because of tight schedules and iron-clad routines.
Kosciusko
The median listing home price in Kosciusko, a town named for a Polish military engineer who served in the American Revolutionary War, was $185,000 in February 2024. Kosciusko features a stunning courthouse and square — and is the closest city to the Natchez Trace Parkway — the only National Parkway to commemorate an ancient travel route. A retiree will love going for picnics at the Holly Hill Picnic Area on the Natchez Trace Parkway, exploring the four parks in town, including Redbud Springs Park - North Natchez Street, and hiking the short and sweet Hurricane Creek trail amid heart-melting waterfront views. Baptist Medical Center Attala was founded in 1938 and hence; has been serving residents in the area for 86 years.
Alternatively, the highly-rated Baptist Memorial Hospital-Leake in Carthage is a short drive away. Since seniors aged 65 and above comprise about 20% of the town's population, one can expect a strong support network.
Laurel
Home to the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, which features local art, Japanese Woodblock prints — as well as Indian baskets and antique silver — this town will easily charm its way into the heart of any retiree. Homes in Laurel are listed for a median price of just $205,000, which means retirees who want to own a home (and some personal space) will not have to deplete their savings or take a back-breaking mortgage. Landrum's Homestead & Village, which spans more than 30 acres and features more than 85 buildings, reenacts homesteading as it was done more than 100 years ago and feels like stepping back into a bygone era.
The Veterans Memorial Museum, which houses interesting military exhibits from the Civil War to the Korean War, can be a history enthusiast’s second home. Plus, a retiree will not have to make an out-of-town trip in case of a medical emergency. South Central Regional Medical Center is in town and has been serving residents in the area for more than 70 years.
The Magnolia State, as Mississippi is known, is consistently ranked among the most budget-friendly states in America. Whether one considers home listing price, rent, or the price of groceries, Mississippi can really stretch a dollar. But it is not just affordability. Lovely magnolias as well as the spectacular beauty of the Gulf Coast earn the state some crucial points as well. While picking the cheapest town to retire in Mississippi can be difficult, towns such as Greenville, Grenada, West Point, and Columbia boast incredibly low median home listing values and are worth checking out.
