City comparison
Hattiesburg, MS is about 800 miles (1,300 km) from Waterloo, IA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,000 miles, or about 16 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 Hattiesburg, MS to Waterloo, IA takes about 1 h 35 min, covering roughly 800 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.
Waterloo has a population of 67,256, vs 48,466 in Hattiesburg — about 1.4× larger by population. By land area, Waterloo covers about 62 sq mi vs 53 sq mi for Hattiesburg.
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 | Hattiesburg | Waterloo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $936/mo | $865/mo | 8.2% higher in Hattiesburg |
| Median home value | $146,600 | $142,000 | 3.2% higher in Hattiesburg |
| Median household income | $41,024 | $54,104 | 31.9% higher in Waterloo |
| Groceries index | 96.4 | 94.0 | 2.6% higher in Hattiesburg |
| Utilities index | 78.5 | 84.4 | 7.5% higher in Waterloo |
| Transportation index | 96.5 | 93.3 | 3.4% higher in Hattiesburg |
| Healthcare index | 96.0 | 93.5 | 2.7% higher in Hattiesburg |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Hattiesburg, you'd need $100,163 in Waterloo to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Hattiesburg and Waterloo have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Waterloo than in Hattiesburg. If you earn $80,000 in Hattiesburg, you'd need about $80,130 in Waterloo to keep the same standard of living.