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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Look, Dollar for dollar, few states match Louisiana's value. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Shreveport at index 68, where median rent of $1,170/month saves renters $8,700/year versus the national median.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport | 68 | $1,170 | Details |
| 2 | Lafayette | 75 | $1,279 | Details |
| 3 | Baton Rouge | 77 | $1,312 | Details |
| 4 | New Orleans | 95 | $1,625 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Shreveport — cost index 68, rent $1,170/mo, income $48,465
Shreveport rent up 3% over the past year
4 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Look, Dollar for dollar, few states match Louisiana's value. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Shreveport at index 68, where median rent of $1,170/month saves renters $8,700/year versus the national median.
Why Shreveport ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 68 on the cost index, residents save roughly 43% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,170/month while the median household pulls in $48,465/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 68, though Healthcare (94) lags behind. Home prices average $134,461 — $332,909 below the national median. A real contender.
The counter-argument is worth hearing: State context matters: Louisiana's 4 cities average a 79 cost index with $1,347/month median rent and $53,801 household income. Cajun culture and below-average costs. Look at what happens when you add healthcare costs.
Bottom line: Shreveport leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
177,959 residents · Louisiana
What does daily life actually cost in Shreveport? Start with the 29% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 68) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 94) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $48,465 — a detail that tends to get overlooked — and homes at $134,461 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
121,467 residents · Louisiana
Lafayette earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. And most of the time, the 75 cost index sits 36 points below the national baseline, and the $61,454 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. You get the picture. Homes list at $219,057 — $248,313 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 75, while Healthcare trails at 95. Surprising? Maybe. But the data's clear.
219,573 residents · Louisiana
Why Baton Rouge ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. Fairly typical for a city this size. At 77 on the cost index, residents save roughly 34% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,312/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — while the median household pulls in $49,944/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 77, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $224,899 — $242,471 below the national median (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). Not even close to the national average.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
Dive into New Orleans's numbers: cost index 95 (16 points below national average), rent $1,625/month, income $55,339, and a home price of $239,751. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 95, while Healthcare runs 99. With 364,136 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Cities are ranked by median 1-bedroom rent in ascending order using Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI). We include all tracked cities in Louisiana with verified rent data, giving you a complete picture of the rental landscape from cheapest to most expensive. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Shreveport ranks #1 in Louisiana for this analysis with a cost index of 68 and median income of $48,465.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Shreveport (ranked #1) has a cost index of 68 and rent of $1,170/mo, while New Orleans (ranked #4) has a cost index of 95 and rent of $1,625/mo — a 27-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Shreveport is $1,170/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $725 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Shreveport is $134,461, which is 2.8× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Louisiana has a 4.25% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.55%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.51%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.