Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Look, the numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Louisiana beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. It lines up with what you'd expect. Shreveport stands out at 85 on the index, with rent of $1,170/month and household income of $48,465. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data. Surpri…
#1 Ranked: Shreveport — cost index 85, 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 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Look, the numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Louisiana beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. It lines up with what you'd expect. Shreveport stands out at 85 on the index, with rent of $1,170/month and household income of $48,465. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data. Surprising? Maybe. But the data's clear.
Frankly, the ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Shreveport (index 85, rent $1,170); Lafayette (index 90, rent $1,279); Baton Rouge (index 91, rent $1,312). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons. Below the radar, but not for long.
Shreveport is one of the cheaper options here. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Rent is $1,170/month — for better or worse — , which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 85. Income sits at $48,465. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. Worth a deeper look.
Look, If you only look at rent, it's perfect. That's a reasonable number. Zoom out and it's complicated. In Shreveport, the healthcare index sits at 87 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about (that's pre-tax, of course). Below the radar, but not for long.
Shreveport rent up 3% over the past year. And in practical terms, that's about what we'd expect given the state context. 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. Not flashy. Just effective.
Rankings quantify the landscape. That's more or less in line with the region. But the decision to move is personal. Use the spotlights above to zero in on 2-3 finalists, then run your actual salary through the calculator. The question isn't just "where is it cheapest?" — it's "where does my specific income buy the life I want?" Start here. Dig deeper on the linked city pages.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport | 85 | $1,170 | Details |
| 2 | Lafayette | 90 | $1,279 | Details |
| 3 | Baton Rouge | 91 | $1,312 | Details |
| 4 | New Orleans | 97 | $1,625 | Details |
177,959 residents · Louisiana
In plain English: at $1,170/month for rent and a cost index of 85, Shreveport is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. And generally speaking, it's fine. Not great, not bad. Income is $48,465. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
121,467 residents · Louisiana
Real talk: Lafayette is one of the cheaper options here. And with some exceptions, that's more or less in line with the region. Rent is $1,279/month — we had to double-check this one — , which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 90. Income sits at $61,454. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters. Hard to argue with that.
219,573 residents · Louisiana
Look, What does daily life actually cost in Baton Rouge? Start with the 32% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. And with some exceptions, on the category level, Housing (index 78) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 94) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $49,944 and homes at $224,899 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
Real talk: So, New Orleans. That alone makes it worth considering. 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. That tracks.
Cities are ranked by overall cost of living index in ascending order. This index weights housing (Zillow ZORI rent data) most heavily, with food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare sub-indices providing a composite picture. A score of 80 means overall costs are 20% below the national median. 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 85 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 85 and rent of $1,170/mo, while New Orleans (ranked #4) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,625/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 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.