Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Fulton costs less to live in than 83% of U.S. towns
It ranks #10 of 99 in Mississippi for affordability. Up 11.6% in a year, 17% below the Mississippi typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Tupelo, MS micro area ($63K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 4 sales in September 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 Tupelo-area micro earn ($63K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.5 years of area income, and 33% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $161Ktypical home, 17% below the Mississippi typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $990a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$63K, Tupelo-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 33%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Mississippi: 51%Census 2020–24
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Fulton
Rent is easier on renters here
33% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 51% across Mississippi. A standard two-bedroom is 23% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Fulton home runs about $960 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $990. 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 Fulton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fulton is more affordable than 83% of U.S. towns, #10 of 99 in Mississippi. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have lagged Mississippi: the typical Fulton home is up 5.7% in five years, against 11.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 11.6% in a year
Faster than Mississippi (2.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Fulton | Mississippi |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $129,000 | $136,000 |
| 2018 | $124,000 | $138,000 |
| 2019 | $118,000 | $142,000 |
| 2020 | $124,000 | $148,000 |
| 2021 | $128,000 | $160,000 |
| 2022 | $155,000 | $183,000 |
| 2023 | $146,000 | $186,000 |
| 2024 | $134,000 | $186,000 |
| 2025 | $145,000 | $192,000 |
| 2026 | $155,000 | $192,000 |
| September 2026 | $161,000 | $195,000 |
A typical Fulton home worth $131K in October 2016 is worth about $161K 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 13% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Fulton’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Fulton home, with $85K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $990 a month here, $30 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Fulton’s typical property tax (0.88% 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 $990
Renters already here pay a median of $679, 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 (Itawamba County, MS): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
8 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 8 new homes in Fulton in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.3 million to build. That's 1.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Mississippi (4). Over the past 10 years, Fulton has permitted 49 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Fulton gained 581 residents while 61 new homes were permitted: about 9.5 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) | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2025 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $539,000 |
| 2022 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $235,000 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $897,000 |
| 2017 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $878,000 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $495,000 |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $635,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2013 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $684,000 |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $641,000 |
| 2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2010 | 18 | 2 | 16 | $1.3 million |
| 2009 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $952,000 |
| 2008 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2007 | 11 | 6 | 5 | $1.6 million |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $766,000 |
| 2005 | 15 | 10 | 5 | $1.5 million |
| 2004 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2003 | 17 | 5 | 12 | $1.2 million |
| 2002 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $723,000 |
| 2001 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $940,000 |
| 2000 | 34 | 10 | 24 | $932,000 |
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 $1,401 (Mississippi: $1,215), 0.88% 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+”.
Fulton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton | A− | $161K | $159K | 0.88% | $990 |
Questions about the cost of living in Fulton
Is Fulton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fulton costs less than 83% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #10 of 99 in Mississippi. The typical home costs 2.5 years of the median household income of the Tupelo, MS micro area ($63K).
How much does a house cost in Fulton?
About $161K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 11.6% in a year. The Mississippi typical home is $195K.
What salary do you need to live in Fulton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $41,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $960 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $40,000.
How much is rent in Fulton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $990 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $679 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Fulton?
The median bill is $1,401 a year, 0.88% of the median home value (Mississippi: $1,215, 0.72%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Fulton going up?
Yes: up 11.6% in the past year and 5.7% in five years, against 11.3% across Mississippi (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Fulton 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.