Photo: Roastedbeanz1 · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, St. Martin costs more to live in than 58% of U.S. towns
It ranks #57 of 99 in Mississippi for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS metro area ($62K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Gulfport metro earn ($62K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 2.8 years of metro income, and 63% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,140a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 90prices across the Gulfport metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 68)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$62K, Gulfport-area income
- 24%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 63%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Mississippi: 51%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in St. Martin, in brief
About two in three renters are stretched
63% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 51% across Mississippi. A standard two-bedroom would take 25% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical St. Martin home runs about $1,060 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for St. Martin, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind St. Martin’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, St. Martin is more affordable than 42% of U.S. towns, #57 of 99 in Mississippi. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 40% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around St. Martin rose 40% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Mississippi. Prices were about flat last year. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical St. Martin home at roughly $186,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $186K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around St. Martin, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 6 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 24% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to St. Martin’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical St. Martin home, with $67K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140 a month here, $80 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, St. Martin’s typical property tax (0.59% 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 $1,140
Renters already here pay a median of $1,231.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Gulfport-Biloxi, 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.
Property tax runs below the Mississippi norm
The median bill is $1,019 (Mississippi: $1,215), 0.59% 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 St. Martin
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Gulfport-Biloxi, 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 | 90 | MS 87 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | MS 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 76 | 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.
St. Martin vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for St. Martin. Latimer has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Martin | C+ | — | $172K | 0.59% | $1,140 |
| Gulf Hills | C+ | $252K | $204K | 0.70% | $1,270 |
| D'Iberville | C+ | $234K | $210K | 0.83% | $1,230 |
| Biloxi | C | $241K | $225K | 0.60% | $1,120 |
| Latimer | B | — | $189K | 0.61% | $1,110 |
| Ocean Springs | C− | $273K | $259K | 0.79% | $1,270 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in St. Martin
Is St. Martin expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, St. Martin costs more than 58% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #57 of 99 in Mississippi. The typical home costs 2.8 years of the median household income of the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS metro area ($62K).
How much is rent in St. Martin?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,140 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,231 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in St. Martin?
The median bill is $1,019 a year, 0.59% of the median home value (Mississippi: $1,215, 0.72%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What St. Martin buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.