Best Places to Buy Rental Property in Mississippi (2026)

Mississippi closed 9,406 home sales in the last six months at a statewide median of $279,990, and fifteen of its cities cleared 100 or more closings at medians between $149,900 and $299,900. That is a compressed range, and the compression is the first thing an investor should understand about this state: Mississippi has one deep low price market and then a broad middle, not a long affordable ladder.

A boundary before the list. This ranking is built on closing prices and closing volume, the two things we can actually verify. It is not built on rent, because we have no verified rent data for these cities, so there are no rent estimates, rent to price ratios, cap rates or cash on cash returns anywhere below. Rent and cash flow have to be verified property by property, using the tools linked at the end.

How This List Is Built

Cheapest median sold price first. Every market cleared at least 100 closings in the trailing six months, which keeps a small number of unusual sales from setting the median.

Volume is the second axis and it matters more in a state this size. Mississippi records 9,406 closings statewide over six months, so several of these markets are genuinely small, and knowing how quickly a market absorbs a listing is knowing how long your exit takes.

1. Jackson, $149,900 median, 634 closings

The only market in Mississippi that combines a genuinely low entry price with real volume, about 106 closings a month at $130,090 below the statewide median. The next cheapest city on this list costs $62,550 more, which makes Jackson a category of one rather than the bottom rung of a ladder.

The state capital, with healthcare and university institutions anchoring employment. Values vary widely by neighborhood, so a citywide median here is orientation only. At a sub $150,000 entry, rehab cost is a large share of total capital, so condition estimating accuracy is the difference between a deal and a mistake.

2. Horn Lake, $212,450 median, 116 closings

About 19 closings a month in DeSoto County, functionally a Memphis suburb. That means your demand base is the Memphis metro economy rather than the Mississippi one, and your comparable sales should reflect that. Cheapest entry point in the DeSoto cluster, and the thinnest volume in it.

3. Gautier, $214,900 median, 157 closings

Roughly 26 closings a month on the Gulf Coast in Jackson County, near the Pascagoula shipbuilding corridor. Industrial employment gives it a different demand base than the tourism heavy coastal cities to the west. Coastal insurance costs apply and need to be quoted for the specific address.

4. Natchez, $218,400 median, 114 closings

About 19 closings a month on the Mississippi River in the southwest corner of the state. Natchez has significant historic housing stock, which cuts both ways: distinctive properties can be genuinely valuable and can also carry restoration requirements and maintenance costs far above a typical rehab. Thin volume, so plan for a longer exit.

5. Lucedale, $240,000 median, 153 closings

Roughly 26 closings a month in George County, inland from the coast and within reach of the Mobile, Alabama economy. Being off the immediate coast generally means lower wind insurance exposure than the beachfront cities, which is worth quantifying rather than assuming.

6. Gulfport, $249,900 median, 839 closings

The strongest entry on this list. About 140 closings a month, the highest volume of any city in Mississippi, at $30,090 below the statewide median. Nothing else in the state pairs top tier liquidity with a below median price.

The offsetting factor is coastal cost structure. Wind and flood insurance varies sharply by elevation and distance from the water, so get a real quote for the specific address before you underwrite. Gaming, tourism, port activity and military presence give the local economy more legs than a single industry town.

7. Pearl, $249,900 median, 258 closings

About 43 closings a month in the Jackson metro, at exactly the same median as Gulfport with roughly a third of the volume. Same price, entirely different market and different risk profile, which is a clean illustration of why price alone never ranks anything.

8. Petal, $263,700 median, 162 closings

Roughly 27 closings a month, adjacent to Hattiesburg in the Pine Belt. Suburban profile next to a regional employment hub. Moderate liquidity.

9. Diamondhead, $265,000 median, 129 closings

About 22 closings a month in Hancock County on the western coast. Diamondhead is a planned community with amenity based housing, so the stock is more uniform than most coastal markets and comparable sales are easier to trust. Association obligations and coastal insurance are both cost lines to confirm.

10. Hattiesburg, $269,900 median, 427 closings

About 71 closings a month, the third deepest market in this ranking. Hattiesburg is a regional hub with university and hospital employment, which gives it a steadier demand base than population alone would suggest. Good balance of price and liquidity.

11. Southaven, $285,000 median, 346 closings

About 58 closings a month, the largest DeSoto County market on this list. It prices $5,010 above the statewide median because it is really a Memphis metro suburb rather than a Mississippi mid market city. Strong volume for the region.

12. Long Beach, $289,431 median, 202 closings

Roughly 34 closings a month on the coast between Gulfport and Pass Christian. Smaller and more residential than Gulfport, with the same coastal insurance considerations and about a quarter of the transaction volume.

13. Clinton, $289,900 median, 156 closings

About 26 closings a month, a Jackson metro suburb with a well regarded school district and a university. That combination usually supports steadier demand than the price level alone would suggest, though volume here is moderate.

14. Biloxi, $293,950 median, 410 closings

About 68 closings a month, the second deepest coastal market. Biloxi leans more heavily on gaming and tourism than Gulfport does, so local demand is more exposed to discretionary spending cycles. Coastal insurance applies, and condominium stock near the water carries association and assessment considerations a single family analysis will miss.

15. Byhalia, $299,900 median, 131 closings

About 22 closings a month in Marshall County, east of the main DeSoto cluster and near significant distribution and logistics development. Most expensive entry on this list and the only one above the statewide median, with thin volume to match.

What This Ranking Cannot Tell You

Entry price and liquidity are two inputs. They do not add up to a return.

Rent is the missing variable that decides everything, and it is not in this data. Mississippi adds a second variable that is nearly as consequential and equally invisible in a sale price: insurance. On the Gulf Coast, wind and flood coverage can run to a substantial annual figure and varies by elevation, distance from water, roof age and construction. Two houses that both sold for $250,000 can carry annual costs that differ by thousands.

Property taxes, vacancy, management and actual condition are likewise absent from a median. Use this list to choose where to look, then verify at the address.

Verifying a Specific Mississippi Deal

Narrow the geography first with the ZIP level market pages. On the coast this is not a nicety, because distance from the water changes both value and insurance cost within a short drive.

Value the property next. Resideline freezes its estimate when a home is listed and grades it against the actual closing price, with results published on a public accuracy dashboard. Comps are visible and adjustable, so a comparable from a different submarket is something you can see and swap, which is essential where Jackson and Madison sit 15 miles and $262,550 apart. Condition is estimated from the listing photos. Live valuations currently cover 31 states.

Then build the deal with real numbers. Get an actual insurance quote for the address, then put it alongside quoted rent, taxes, vacancy and management in the rental property calculator. For a renovation, size the after repair value and budget in the ARV calculator, and run purchase, rehab and exit together in the deal analyzer. The free calculators require no signup.