Overall
91.8
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Jackson, MI
Cost-of-living indicators for Jackson, MI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.8
- Overall RPP
- #249
- of 387 metros
- 67.1
- Rents RPP
- $109K
- $100K national buys
Jackson ranks #249 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 5.0 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to La Crosse-Onalaska
The verdict
Jackson costs less than 64% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.8, 8.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 67.1.
- bottom 36%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 97.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $108,957 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $91,779.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Jackson's overall RPP fell -1.0 points, from 92.8 in 2023 to 91.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 78.0 to 67.1. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 5.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 3.8 points from the year before.
Jackson overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 96.8 |
| 2009 | 93.1 |
| 2010 | 92.3 |
| 2011 | 93.9 |
| 2012 | 93.5 |
| 2013 | 91.4 |
| 2014 | 93.3 |
| 2015 | 91.1 |
| 2016 | 92.9 |
| 2017 | 91.3 |
| 2018 | 93.0 |
| 2019 | 93.3 |
| 2020 | 92.1 |
| 2021 | 93.6 |
| 2022 | 91.5 |
| 2023 | 92.8 |
| 2024 | 91.8 |
Jackson vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
92 Bottom 36% higher than 36% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Jackson cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
67.1 RPP
- Services
Services
97.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Jackson's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 67.1 depart furthest from 100, while goods sits at 93.7. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Jackson's cost comes from
Metros near Jackson's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Jackson (Jackson, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 67.1
- La Crosse: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 69.4
- Pueblo: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 71.3
- Amarillo: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 78.4
- Des Moines: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 84.7
- Michigan City: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 68.5
- Augusta: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 70.6
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
97.8
Below avg
Rents
67.1
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Jackson's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Jackson: rents index at 67.1, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 91.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Toledo, OH, Bay City, MI, Midland, MI. They resemble Jackson across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Jackson's overall index has fallen by 5.0 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$91,779
in Jackson, MI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,890
$75,000 nationally
$68,834
$125,000 nationally
$114,724
$150,000 nationally
$137,669
$200,000 nationally
$183,558
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
73/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
73rd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
MI-relative analysis
Goods prices places Jackson, MI near the bottom of MI's metros
Among the 15 MI metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Jackson, MI ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Jackson, MI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 15
0th percentile in MI
Services prices
#4 of 15
73rd percentile in MI
Rent prices
#11 of 15
27th percentile in MI
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within MI only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Jackson, MI: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (91.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (67.1 here).
Other MI Metros
Ann Arbor, MI 100.9 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 100.3 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI 95.5 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 95.0 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 94.8 Monroe, MI 93.5
View all MI metros → Cheapest in MI → Most expensive in MI →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Jackson's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Toledo, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.3 · Rents 67.3 Bay City, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 95.2 · Rents 66.7 Midland, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 95.2 · Rents 66.7 Saginaw, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 95.8 · Rents 63.6 Niles, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 96.0 · Rents 71.6 Springfield, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 97.2 · Rents 61.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Jackson, MI's index of 91.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Jackson
How to read Jackson's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $108,957 in Jackson. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 67.1, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Jackson head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Jackson, MI?
Jackson, MI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.8, meaning it is 8.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 97.8, and rents at 67.1. It ranks #249 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Jackson, MI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $91,779 in Jackson, MI. Conversely, $100K earned in Jackson, MI has the purchasing power of $108,957 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Jackson, MI?
Rents in Jackson, MI are indexed at 67.1, which is 32.9% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Jackson, MI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Jackson, MI's overall cost index changed by -5.0 points (from 96.8 to 91.8). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Jackson, MI?
The priciest category in Jackson, MI is services at 97.8, 2.2% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 67.1, 32.9% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Jackson, MI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include La Crosse-Onalaska, Pueblo, Amarillo. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Jackson, MI's 91.8.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.