Half of a typical paycheck in Kosciusko goes to pay household bills.
That’s what DOXO, an online bill-paying service, says.
It’s added up what it costs for the most common monthly expenses, excluding food like mortgage or rent, utilities, insurance, mobile phone and cable or satellite service.
In Kosciusko, that amounts to just under $1,700 per household. That makes Kosciusko the 33rd most expensive city in Mississippi as it pertains to household bills.
And even though the average income is higher in Philadelphia, DOXO says the monthly bills come out about the same as Kosciusko, right at $1,700.
For both cities, that’s 20% less than the national average.
In Carthage, though, those same monthly bills for a typical family total less than $1,400, and that’s 35% less than the national average.
The full report can be found HERE.
Beverly E. Johnson
July 8, 2024 at 10:40 AMI can’t vouch for the accuracy of these reports, BUT Kosciusko’s City Fathers and the Kosciusko Attala County Development authority need to take a close look at the contrast between Kosciusko’s cost of living and Carthage’s. Look at the very marked difference between Kosciusko and Carthage, with Kosciusko being MARKEDLY more expensive to live. Of course the problem is that the persons who need to take a look are probably those who most benefit from the higher cost of living in Kosciusko, so there is no motivation for examination! Some obvious factors might come to mind such as the monopoly on FUEL prices in Kosciusko (all through most of June I bought gas outside of Carthage for under 3.00 (around 2.85) while prices in Kosciusko exceeded that by as much as 25 cents/gallon.) Another factor might be the choke hold on RENTS exercised by a small group of “prominent” Kosciusko business men. Another factor might be that Carthage offers more competitive GROCERY prices. Both towns have Walmart, but as everyone knows Sunflower, Kosciusko’s only alternative is outrageously priced, except perhaps for local produce and sales items, although many locals do shun meat, pork, and chicken at Walmart. What other factors are operative here! I don’t know the figures for UTILITIES in Carthage. Electricity in Kosciusko seems reasonably priced, but now my WATER bill is oftern higher than my electric bill. I also don’t know what people using ENTERGY pay, as I have KPL (Kosciusko Power and Light). What are utility prices in Carthage? Is that part of the difference? After the fancy consultants came in recently this past week and examined Kosciusko for its “economics” in hopes of “bettering them,” the question becomes “bettering them for whom.” The answer in the past by local businessmen is let’s better things for tourists! This seems to be some version of “trickle down” economics, i.e. that tourist money trickles down all the way to all Kosciusko pockets, Perhaps, perhaps not.