Jackson Uptown Commercial Historic District · Photo: Zzyxzaa26 · CC0Measured against area pay, Jackson costs less to live in than 66% of U.S. towns
It ranks #125 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 4.9% in a year, close to the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area ($67K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Cape Girardeau metro earn ($67K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.6 years of metro income, and 37% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $272Ktypical home, 3% above the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,150a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 86prices across the Cape Girardeau metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 56)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$67K, Cape Girardeau-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 37%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 15%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Jackson?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Jackson’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jackson is more affordable than 66% of U.S. towns, #125 of 247 in Missouri. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Missouri: up 29.0% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 4.9% in a year
Faster than Missouri (3.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Jackson | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $162,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $167,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $171,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $177,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $195,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $220,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $232,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $243,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $252,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $263,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $272,000 | $265,000 |
A typical Jackson home worth $160K in October 2016 is worth about $272K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Jackson’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $3K short of a typical Jackson home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month here, $430 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Jackson’s typical property tax (0.68% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150
Renters already here pay a median of $900, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
54 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 54 new homes in Jackson in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $18.3 million to build. That's 3.4 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Missouri as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Jackson has permitted 504 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Jackson gained 1,723 residents while 715 new homes were permitted: about 2.4 new residents per new home, more than across Missouri (1.1): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 22 | 20 | 2 | $6.4 million |
| 2025 | 54 | 54 | 0 | $18.3 million |
| 2024 | 34 | 30 | 4 | $9.1 million |
| 2023 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $8.9 million |
| 2022 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $8.2 million |
| 2021 | 65 | 65 | 0 | $15.9 million |
| 2020 | 18 | 12 | 6 | $2.9 million |
| 2019 | 22 | 11 | 11 | $3.4 million |
| 2018 | 65 | 31 | 34 | $9.9 million |
| 2017 | 89 | 89 | 0 | $20.5 million |
| 2016 | 81 | 81 | 0 | $18.7 million |
| 2015 | 77 | 77 | 0 | $17.7 million |
| 2014 | 72 | 72 | 0 | $16.6 million |
| 2013 | 113 | 83 | 30 | $20.8 million |
| 2012 | 88 | 74 | 14 | $17.2 million |
| 2011 | 54 | 42 | 12 | $8.8 million |
| 2010 | 54 | 46 | 8 | $6.9 million |
| 2009 | 51 | 32 | 19 | $6.4 million |
| 2008 | 56 | 36 | 20 | $7.2 million |
| 2007 | 106 | 80 | 26 | $15.4 million |
| 2006 | 71 | 48 | 23 | $9.3 million |
| 2005 | 99 | 69 | 30 | $12.9 million |
| 2004 | 105 | 81 | 24 | $13.1 million |
| 2003 | 103 | 83 | 20 | $11.7 million |
| 2002 | 100 | 80 | 20 | $10.7 million |
| 2001 | 93 | 85 | 8 | $8.8 million |
| 2000 | 113 | 87 | 26 | $11.6 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Missouri norm
The median bill is $1,622 (Missouri: $1,948), 0.68% of a home’s value a year, against 0.85% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Jackson
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area, or Missouri. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 86 | MO 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | MO 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 86 | MO 79 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 93 | MO 95 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Jackson vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Jackson has the 2nd-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | B+ | $272K | $240K | 0.68% | $1,150 |
| Cape Girardeau | B | $219K | $196K | 0.70% | $990 |
Questions about the cost of living in Jackson
Is Jackson expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jackson costs less than 66% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #125 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 3.6 years of the median household income of the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area ($67K).
How much does a house cost in Jackson?
About $272K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.9% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in Jackson?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $68,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,580 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $46,000.
How much is rent in Jackson?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,150 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $900 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Jackson?
The median bill is $1,622 a year, 0.68% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Jackson going up?
Yes: up 4.9% in the past year and 29.0% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Jackson buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.