Cost of living in Columbus, Mississippi

Columbus, Mississippi has about 23,348 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $125,700.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Lowndes County is $931 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Columbus. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Mississippi's prices sit at 87.0 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Mississippi taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.1% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Columbus's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Mississippi home paid 14.54¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Columbus's bill.

EIA does not publish a Mississippi gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) all-grades price was $3.954 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,897.92 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Mississippi shares this price.

Among 172 places we list in Mississippi with a rent figure, 71 have higher typical rent than Columbus.