Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA · CC BY 2.0Measured against area pay, Byram costs more to live in than 65% of U.S. towns
It ranks #75 of 99 in Mississippi for affordability. Up 1.5% in a year, 13% above the Mississippi typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Jackson, MS metro area ($62K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Jackson metro earn ($62K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.4 years of metro income, and 32% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $220Ktypical home, 13% above the Mississippi typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,520a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 89prices across the Jackson metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 65)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$62K, Jackson-area income
- 26%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 32%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Mississippi: 51%Census 2020–24
- 26%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Byram’s housing numbers say
Rent is easier on renters here
32% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 51% across Mississippi. A standard two-bedroom is 26% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Byram home runs about $1,300 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,520. Can I afford it? ↓
Values rose faster than Mississippi’s over five years
The typical Byram home is up 29% in five years, against 11% across Mississippi. Price trend ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Byram’s homes were built after 2001, against 1986 for Mississippi as a whole. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Byram’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Byram is more affordable than 35% of U.S. towns, #75 of 99 in Mississippi. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Mississippi: the typical Byram home is up 29.0% in five years, against 11.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 29% in five years
Faster than Mississippi (11.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Byram | Mississippi |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $127,000 | $136,000 |
| 2018 | $131,000 | $138,000 |
| 2019 | $139,000 | $142,000 |
| 2020 | $148,000 | $148,000 |
| 2021 | $157,000 | $160,000 |
| 2022 | $178,000 | $183,000 |
| 2023 | $196,000 | $186,000 |
| 2024 | $200,000 | $186,000 |
| 2025 | $210,000 | $192,000 |
| 2026 | $219,000 | $192,000 |
| September 2026 | $220,000 | $195,000 |
A typical Byram home worth $126K in October 2016 is worth about $220K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 26% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Byram’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Byram home, with $25K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,520 a month here, $220 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Byram’s typical property tax (0.79% 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 $1,520
Renters already here pay a median of $1,343, 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 (Jackson, MS HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
44 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 44 new homes in Byram in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $7.8 million to build. That's 3.4 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Mississippi as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Byram has permitted 443 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Byram gained 1,177 residents while 336 new homes were permitted: about 3.5 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 33 | 33 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2025 | 44 | 44 | 0 | $7.8 million |
| 2024 | 50 | 50 | 0 | $7.6 million |
| 2023 | 46 | 46 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2022 | 55 | 55 | 0 | $8.1 million |
| 2021 | 79 | 79 | 0 | $11 million |
| 2020 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $6.1 million |
| 2019 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2018 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2017 | 58 | 58 | 0 | $7.9 million |
| 2016 | 51 | 51 | 0 | $7.2 million |
| 2015 | 48 | 48 | 0 | $6.6 million |
| 2014 | 35 | 35 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2013 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2012 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2011 | 35 | 35 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2010 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $2.5 million |
Byram's permit office reported 8 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Mississippi norm
The median bill is $1,642 (Mississippi: $1,215), 0.79% of a home’s value a year, against 0.72% 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 Byram
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Jackson, MS metro area, or Mississippi. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 89 | MS 87 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | MS 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 78 | MS 78 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 96 | MS 96 | 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.
Byram vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Byram has the 2nd-lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Byram
Is Byram expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Byram costs more than 65% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #75 of 99 in Mississippi. The typical home costs 3.4 years of the median household income of the Jackson, MS metro area ($62K).
How much does a house cost in Byram?
About $220K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.5% in a year. The Mississippi typical home is $195K.
What salary do you need to live in Byram?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $56,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,300 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $61,000.
How much is rent in Byram?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,520 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,343 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Byram?
The median bill is $1,642 a year, 0.79% of the median home value (Mississippi: $1,215, 0.72%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Byram going up?
Yes: up 1.5% in the past year and 29.0% in five years, against 11.3% across Mississippi (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Byram 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, May 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.