Photo: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Greenville costs more to live in than 64% of U.S. towns
It ranks #73 of 99 in Mississippi for affordability. Down 3.7% in a year, 73% below the Mississippi typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Greenville, MS micro area ($42K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Greenville-area micro earn ($42K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 2.5 years of area income, and 55% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $52Ktypical home, 73% below the Mississippi typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $880a 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$42K, Greenville-area income
- 25%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 55%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 Greenville’s housing numbers say
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Greenville home runs about $320 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $880. Can I afford it? ↓
Values have lagged Mississippi
The typical Greenville home is down 47% in five years, against a gain of 11% across Mississippi. Over the ten years on the chart it’s down 51%, against 34% statewide. Price trend ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Greenville lost 4,730 residents while 97 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,040, under the Mississippi median of $1,215, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 1.00% a year, against 0.72% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $40 a month. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Greenville’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Greenville is more affordable than 36% of U.S. towns, #73 of 99 in Mississippi. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have lagged Mississippi: the typical Greenville home is down 47.1% in five years, against 11.3% statewide (Zillow).
Down 47.1% in five years
Slower than Mississippi (11.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Greenville | Mississippi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $93,000 | $148,000 |
| 2021 | $100,000 | $160,000 |
| 2022 | $104,000 | $183,000 |
| 2023 | $79,000 | $186,000 |
| 2024 | $76,000 | $186,000 |
| 2025 | $68,000 | $192,000 |
| 2026 | $50,000 | $192,000 |
| September 2026 | $52,000 | $195,000 |
A typical Greenville home worth $107K in May 2019 is worth about $52K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 17 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 25% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Greenville’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Greenville home, with $109K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $880 a month here, $560 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Greenville’s typical property tax (1.00% 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 $880
Renters already here pay a median of $872.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Washington County, MS): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Greenville in 2025. That's 0 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Mississippi (4). Over the past 10 years, Greenville has permitted 127 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Greenville's population fell by 4,730 even though 97 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $410,000 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 45 | 1 | 44 | $6.4 million |
| 2021 | 7 | 3 | 4 | $995,000 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $345,000 |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $921,000 |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2017 | 51 | 9 | 42 | $6.8 million |
| 2016 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $121,000 |
| 2014 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2013 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $871,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $519,000 |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $246,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $42,000 |
| 2008 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2007 | 62 | 10 | 52 | $5.3 million |
| 2006 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2005 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2004 | 92 | 24 | 68 | $6.4 million |
| 2003 | 26 | 10 | 16 | $1.2 million |
| 2002 | 23 | 21 | 2 | $2.9 million |
| 2001 | 116 | 30 | 86 | $6.2 million |
| 2000 | 61 | 24 | 37 | $5.2 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,040, under the Mississippi median of $1,215, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.00% 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+”.
Greenville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | C+ | $52K | $104K | 1.00% | $880 |
Questions about the cost of living in Greenville
Is Greenville expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Greenville costs more than 64% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #73 of 99 in Mississippi. The typical home costs 2.5 years of the median household income of the Greenville, MS micro area ($42K).
How much does a house cost in Greenville?
About $52K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 3.7% in a year. The Mississippi typical home is $195K.
What salary do you need to live in Greenville?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $14,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $320 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $35,000.
How much is rent in Greenville?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $880 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $872 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Greenville?
The median bill is $1,040 a year, 1.00% of the median home value (Mississippi: $1,215, 0.72%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Greenville going up?
No: down 3.7% in the past year and -47.1% in five years, against 11.3% across Mississippi (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Greenville 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.