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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Louisiana's value. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Shreveport at index 85, where median rent of $1,170/month saves renters $8,700/year versus the national median.
#1 Ranked: Shreveport — cost index 85, rent $1,170/mo, income $48,465
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
Dollar for dollar, few states match Louisiana's value. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Shreveport at index 85, where median rent of $1,170/month saves renters $8,700/year versus the national median.
Shreveport earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 85 cost index sits 27 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 62, while Healthcare trails at 87.
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.
| Rank | City | Food & Groceries Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport | 83 | 85 | $1,170 | Details |
| 2 | Lafayette | 89 | 90 | $1,279 | Details |
| 3 | Baton Rouge | 90 | 91 | $1,312 | Details |
| 4 | New Orleans | 95 | 97 | $1,625 | Details |
177,959 residents · Louisiana
Here's Shreveport by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 85. Rent: $1,170/month — a detail that tends to get overlooked — . Income: $48,465/year. Home price: $134,461. Population: 177,959. The strongest category is Housing at 62; the most expensive is Healthcare at 87. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $8,700 per year vs. the national median. If you're debt-free, those savings go straight to building wealth (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way). The definition of value.
121,467 residents · Louisiana
Dive into Lafayette's numbers: cost index 90 (22 points below national average), rent $1,279/month, income $61,454, and a home price of $219,057. And roughly speaking, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 76, while Healthcare runs 93. With 121,467 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
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.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
A closer look at New Orleans: the cost index of 97 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Utilities index of 89 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (weakest). Median rent is $1,625/month — 14% below the national median — while household income sits at $55,339, meaning locals spend about 35% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
Cities are ranked by their food & groceries cost sub-index within Louisiana. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. 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.
Shreveport, LA has the lowest food & groceries index at 83, compared to the national average of 100.
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.