City comparison
Columbia, MO is about 600 miles (1,000 km) from Gulfport, MS in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 750 miles, or about 13 hours behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Columbia, MO to Gulfport, MS takes about 1 h 14 min, covering roughly 600 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Columbia has a population of 126,172, vs 72,524 in Gulfport — about 1.7× larger by population. By land area, Columbia covers about 68 sq mi vs 56 sq mi for Gulfport.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Columbia | Gulfport | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $997/mo | $988/mo | 0.9% higher in Columbia |
| Median home value | $248,600 | $158,300 | 57.0% higher in Columbia |
| Median household income | $60,455 | $43,499 | 39.0% higher in Columbia |
| Groceries index | 94.4 | 96.4 | 2.2% higher in Gulfport |
| Utilities index | 86.5 | 78.0 | 10.9% higher in Columbia |
| Transportation index | 93.4 | 96.5 | 3.3% higher in Gulfport |
| Healthcare index | 93.6 | 96.0 | 2.6% higher in Gulfport |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Columbia, you'd need $99,964 in Gulfport to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Columbia and Gulfport have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Columbia, you'd need about $79,971 in Gulfport to keep the same standard of living.