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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Student life means every dollar counts. We scored 4 cities across Louisiana for rent, food, and cost of living. Shreveport (rent $1,170/mo, cost index 68) ranks #1 for 2026.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport | 68 | $1,170 | Details |
| 2 | Baton Rouge | 77 | $1,312 | Details |
| 3 | Lafayette | 75 | $1,279 | 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
Student-budget scoring: rent $1,170/mo, food index 89, cost index 68 — survival-level affordability
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Student life means every dollar counts. We scored 4 cities across Louisiana for rent, food, and cost of living. Shreveport (rent $1,170/mo, cost index 68) ranks #1 for 2026.
Shreveport earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 68 cost index sits 43 points below the national baseline, and the $48,465 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $134,461 — $332,909 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 68, while Healthcare trails at 94.
Student affordability boils down to three survival metrics: rent under $1,200/month (25pts), overall cost index (20pts), and food costs (10pts). Shreveport leads at $1,170/month rent with a food index of 89 — 11% below the national food cost baseline. Baton Rouge is close behind at $1,312/month.
There's a pattern hiding in these numbers — and it matters: Shreveport rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Shreveport has increased from $1,138 to $1,170/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
With that foundation in place: Across Louisiana, the average cost of living index is 79 — 32 points below the national median. Known for Cajun culture and below-average costs, the state offers 4 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,347/month. That's $548 less than the national average of $1,895. Financially, that's significant.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
177,959 residents · Louisiana
A closer look at Shreveport: the cost index of 68 breaks down to a Housing index of 68 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 94 (weakest). Median rent is $1,170/month — 38% below the national median — while household income sits at $48,465, meaning locals spend about 29% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
219,573 residents · Louisiana
In plain English: the #2 spot goes to Baton Rouge, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,312/month — saving renters $6,996 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 77, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. The 32% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
121,467 residents · Louisiana
Real talk: Dive into Lafayette's numbers: cost index 75 (36 points below national average), rent $1,279/month, income $61,454, and a home price of $219,057. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 75, while Healthcare runs 95. With 121,467 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
Why New Orleans ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 95 on the cost index, residents save roughly 16% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,625/month while the median household pulls in $55,339/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 95, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $239,751 — $227,619 below the national median.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to students. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. 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.
Shreveport scores highest for students due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,170/mo, and competitive 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.