Assisted Living Cost in Mississippi
Mississippi is the cheapest state for assisted living in the nation, and also the state where the gap between the state median and Jackson is widest in this batch: budget from the Jackson figure, not the state figure, if Jackson is home. The metro spread is wide too, at $2,261 a month from Gulfport and Biloxi to Jackson. Mississippi is also one of the few states with a Medicaid waiver built for assisted living itself, which changes the payment conversation.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026, ranked state tables and Cost of Care calculator, accessed November 2026; Mississippi Division of Medicaid Assisted Living Waiver and Access to Care information; Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board state veterans homes information.
Mississippi assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Mississippi, with the national median beside it. The survey collected more than 25,000 provider rates between July and November 2025 and reports medians, the middle price, not averages pulled up by luxury buildings. Assisted living figures are for a private one-bedroom apartment for 12 months of care.
| Care type | Mississippi median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $4,285 ($51,420 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | $24 ($54,912 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | $63 ($16,380 per year at 5 days a week) | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $9,581 ($114,972 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | $9,885 ($118,620 per year) | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Mississippi median runs $1,915 a month below the national median, which is $22,980 over a full year (74,400 minus 51,420). Home care at $24 an hour sits $11 below the $35 national rate. Adult day care at $63 a day sits $32 below the $95 national rate. A semi-private nursing home room at $9,581 matches the national figure exactly, and a private room at $9,885 sits $913 below the $10,798 national figure. For the full national picture, read how much does assisted living cost and how much does a nursing home cost.
Assisted living cost Mississippi by place
Place medians come from the same CareScout survey, through its Cost of Care calculator, which reports the closest survey region for each place. All figures are 2025 monthly medians for a private one-bedroom apartment. The spread runs from $4,369 to $6,630, a gap of $2,261 a month between the lowest and highest Mississippi place in this table. The Biloxi figure maps to the Gulfport metropolitan region, which the calculator reports for Biloxi, so read it as the Gulfport region figure, not as a Biloxi-specific survey.
| Place | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Mississippi median |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson | $6,630 | $2,345 above |
| Hattiesburg | $6,000 | $1,715 above |
| Gulfport | $4,369 | $84 above |
| Biloxi | $4,369 | $84 above |
All four places in this table sit above the $4,285 state median, which tells you smaller regions outside these places pull the state figure down, not up. Jackson at $6,630 sits $2,345 above the state median, while Gulfport and Biloxi, the lowest places in this table, still sit $84 above it. Do not treat the state median as the price in any of these places: use the place figure, then replace it with three written quotes in that place, with apartment size and care level stated. For how to use competing quotes, read can you negotiate assisted living costs.
What the monthly bill includes, and what it leaves out
The median buys the building and the base service: a private apartment, meals, housekeeping, supervision, and activities, with staff on site around the clock. It does not buy every charge a resident actually pays. Care is priced in levels, and the level rises as help needs grow, so the second year costs more than the first even before any annual rate increase. Medication handling, a higher care level, and a second occupant are commonly billed on top of the base rate, and many buildings charge a one-time community fee at move-in.
Mississippi licenses personal care homes through the State Department of Health, and the Assisted Living Waiver operates in licensed personal care home-assisted living settings, called PCH-AL facilities. Ask at the tour, in writing, whether the setting is a licensed PCH-AL facility, which services the base rate covers and which are billed as extras, and what each extra costs. The tour checklist on assisted living checklist groups those questions for you.
Medicaid in Mississippi: Assisted Living Waiver
Mississippi is one of the states with a Medicaid waiver built for assisted living itself. The Assisted Living Waiver, run by the Division of Medicaid, is for people age 21 or older who meet the nursing facility level of care and are Medicaid eligible, and it allows a qualified person to live in a licensed personal care home-assisted living facility as an alternative to nursing facility care. A waiver is the state program that pays for care services outside a nursing home. Under the waiver, Medicaid pays a flat fee for services received in the facility, including personal care services, homemaker services, attendant care services, medication oversight and administration, intermittent skilled nursing services, transportation, attendant call systems, and therapeutic, social, and recreational programming. The participant contributes to the facility for room and board, which Medicaid does not pay. The companion Elderly and Disabled Waiver is the home route: it pays for services for people who live in their own home or a family member's home, not in a facility. For the national Medicaid rules, read does medicaid pay for assisted living, and for the full payment map, read how to pay for assisted living. Medicare does not pay for assisted living room charges or custodial care; see does medicare pay for assisted living for the exact boundary.
VA resources in Mississippi
For a veteran parent, two Mississippi routes sit beside the private market. The first is VA Aid and Attendance, a monthly cash benefit added to a VA pension for a veteran or surviving spouse who needs help with daily living; the amounts and rules are on VA Aid and Attendance requirements and veterans affairs assisted living. The second is the state's own veterans homes. The Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board operates five state veterans homes providing skilled nursing care: Collins, Jackson, Kosciusko, Oxford, and Tradition on the Gulf Coast. They are state veterans homes, not private assisted living communities, so treat them as a separate application track, not as a price comparison. For VA health care, use VA.gov to find the facility nearest your parent.
Mississippi against the national median, in one row
Mississippi assisted living at $4,285 a month sits $1,915 below the $6,200 national median, home care at $24 an hour sits $11 below the $35 national rate, adult day care at $63 a day sits $32 below the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $9,581 a month matches the $9,581 national figure exactly. Mississippi is the cheapest state for assisted living in the nation, a markedly cheaper state for home care and adult day care, and an average state for semi-private nursing home rooms. At $9,581 a month, a semi-private nursing home room costs $5,296 a month more than the $4,285 assisted living median in the same state, so a parent whose needs are close to the nursing facility line should still price both settings in the same place.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Assisted Living Waiver pay for room and board?
No. Under the Assisted Living Waiver, Medicaid pays a flat fee for services received in the facility, and the participant contributes to the facility for room and board. Budget the housing portion from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds, and confirm the facility's room and board contribution in writing before admission.
Why is Jackson $2,345 above the state median?
Because the state median covers every surveyed provider in Mississippi, and Jackson metro providers charge more than the statewide middle price. The gap is the largest in this batch, so the state median is a poor budget for a Jackson move. Use the Jackson figure of $6,630 as the starting point, then collect three written quotes in Jackson with apartment size and care level stated.
Why do Gulfport and Biloxi share $4,369?
Because the CareScout calculator maps the Biloxi entry to the Gulfport metropolitan region, not to a Biloxi-specific survey region. The $4,369 figure is the Gulfport region median, not a price measured in Biloxi itself. Budget a Biloxi move from that region figure until you hold written quotes from communities in Biloxi itself.
What is the difference between the Assisted Living Waiver and the Elderly and Disabled Waiver?
The Assisted Living Waiver pays for services inside a licensed personal care home-assisted living facility, for a person who would otherwise need nursing facility care. The Elderly and Disabled Waiver pays for services for a person who lives in their own home or a family member's home. Same level of care test, different setting: apply for the waiver that matches where your parent will actually live.
Your next step is to take the place median for the city where your parent will actually live, get three written quotes that state apartment size, care level, and every extra fee, and check Assisted Living Waiver and VA eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.