Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Como costs more to live in than 70% of U.S. towns
About the same as a year ago, 8% below the Mississippi typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Panola County, MS ($46K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Panola County earn ($46K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.9 years of area income, and 40% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $179Ktypical home, 8% below the Mississippi typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,170a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$46K, Panola County income
- 40%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Mississippi: 51%Census 2020–24
What Como’s housing numbers say
Most Como households rent
63% of households rent their home, 312 in all, against 30% across Mississippi. Renting ↓
Prices are 8% below their 2025 peak
The typical Como home peaked at $194K in March 2025 and is worth about $179K now. Across Mississippi, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Como is still up 2%. Price trend ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Como home runs about $1,030 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,170. The hurdle is getting in: the down payment, and a budget at the median income that falls short of the typical home. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Como’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Como is more affordable than 30% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged Mississippi: the typical Como home is up 2.0% in five years, against 11.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 2% in five years
Slower than Mississippi (11.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Como | Mississippi |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $140,000 | $136,000 |
| 2018 | $133,000 | $138,000 |
| 2019 | $131,000 | $142,000 |
| 2020 | $135,000 | $148,000 |
| 2021 | $155,000 | $160,000 |
| 2022 | $181,000 | $183,000 |
| 2023 | $182,000 | $186,000 |
| 2024 | $182,000 | $186,000 |
| 2025 | $192,000 | $192,000 |
| 2026 | $185,000 | $192,000 |
| September 2026 | $179,000 | $195,000 |
A typical Como home worth $139K in October 2016 is worth about $179K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Como’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Como home, with $7K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,170 a month here, $140 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Como’s typical property tax (0.63% 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 $1,170
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Tate County, 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.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in Como in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 2.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Mississippi (4). Over the past 10 years, Como has permitted 3 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Como's population fell by 161 and no new homes were permitted.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $592,000 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $889,000 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $80,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $240,000 |
| 2006 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $300,000 |
| 2005 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $300,000 |
| 2004 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $240,000 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $180,000 |
| 2002 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $180,000 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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 Mississippi norm
The median bill is $1,142 (Mississippi: $1,215), 0.63% 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+”.
Como and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Como | C | $179K | $181K | 0.63% | $1,170 |
Questions about the cost of living in Como
Is Como expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Como costs more than 70% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.9 years of the median household income of Panola County, MS ($46K).
How much does a house cost in Como?
About $179K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.4% in a year. The Mississippi typical home is $195K.
What salary do you need to live in Como?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $44,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,030 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $47,000.
How much is rent in Como?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,170 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Como?
The median bill is $1,142 a year, 0.63% of the median home value (Mississippi: $1,215, 0.72%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Como going up?
No: down 0.4% in the past year and 2.0% in five years, against 11.3% across Mississippi (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Como 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.