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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Young professionals don't just need cheap — they need opportunity. We scored 4 cities across Louisiana on income, market size, and transport costs. New Orleans ($55,339 median income, 364,136 people) ranks #1 for 2026.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
New Orleans earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 97 cost index sits 15 points below the national baseline, and the $55,339 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $239,751 — $227,619 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 89, while Healthcare trails at 100. No gimmicks — just good numbers.
121,467 residents · Louisiana
Here's Lafayette by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 90. Rent: $1,279/month — this is the part where it gets real — . Income: $61,454/year. Home price: $219,057. Population: 121,467. The strongest category is Housing at 76; the most expensive is Healthcare at 93. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,392 per year vs. the national median. Not many cities can claim this.
219,573 residents · Louisiana
The #3 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 78, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 94. The 32% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
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 62) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 87) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $48,465 and homes at $134,461 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
#1 Ranked: New Orleans — cost index 97, rent $1,625/mo, income $55,339
Young-professional scoring: income $55,339, population 364,136 (job market depth), transport index 92
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans | 97 | $1,625 | Details |
| 2 | Lafayette | 90 | $1,279 | Details |
| 3 | Baton Rouge | 91 | $1,312 | Details |
| 4 | Shreveport | 85 | $1,170 | Details |
Young professionals don't just need cheap — they need opportunity. We scored 4 cities across Louisiana on income, market size, and transport costs. New Orleans ($55,339 median income, 364,136 people) ranks #1 for 2026.
For young professionals, we weight income potential highest (20pts) — early career earnings compound over decades. Population comes next (15pts) as a proxy for job market depth: more employers means more opportunity. Transport costs (10pts) matter because most early-career workers are car-dependent. New Orleans leads with $55,339 median income and 364,136 residents.
So, New Orleans. Cost index of 97, rent at $1,625/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $55,339, which is below the national median. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
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.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to young professionals. 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.
New Orleans ranks #1 in Louisiana for this analysis with a cost index of 97 and median income of $55,339.
New Orleans scores highest for young professionals due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,625/mo, and competitive median income of $55,339.
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.
New Orleans (ranked #1) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,625/mo, while Shreveport (ranked #4) has a cost index of 85 and rent of $1,170/mo — a 12-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 New Orleans is $1,625/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $270 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in New Orleans is $239,751, which is 4.3× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.