Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Louisiana beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. New Orleans stands out at 95 on the index, with rent of $1,625/month and household income of $55,339. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (though the trend is moving in the right directi…
#1 Ranked: New Orleans — cost index 95, rent $1,625/mo, income $55,339
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
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans | 95 | $1,625 | Details |
| 2 | Baton Rouge | 77 | $1,312 | Details |
| 3 | Shreveport | 68 | $1,170 | Details |
| 4 | Lafayette | 75 | $1,279 | Details |
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Louisiana beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. New Orleans stands out at 95 on the index, with rent of $1,625/month and household income of $55,339. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
New Orleans earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 95 cost index sits 16 points below the national baseline, and the $55,339 — not a number you see very often, by the way — 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, Housing leads the way at 95, while Healthcare trails at 99.
This looks affordable — until you factor in healthcare. In New Orleans, the healthcare index sits at 99 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
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.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
Here's New Orleans by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 95. Rent: $1,625/month. Income: $55,339/year. Home price: $239,751. Population: 364,136. The strongest category is Housing at 95; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,240 per year vs. the national median. If you're a planner, this number should anchor your spreadsheet (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
219,573 residents · Louisiana
Here's Baton Rouge by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 77. Rent: $1,312/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — . Income: $49,944/year. Home price: $224,899. Population: 219,573. The strongest category is Housing at 77; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,996 per year vs. the national median. The delta here is big enough to fund a retirement account.
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.
121,467 residents · Louisiana
Dive into Lafayette's numbers: cost index 75 — we had to double-check this one — (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. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. With 121,467 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1New Orleans | 4.25% | 9.55% | 0.51% | $41,526 |
2Baton Rouge | 4.25% | 9.55% | 0.51% | $41,526 |
3Shreveport | 4.25% | 9.55% | 0.51% | $41,526 |
4Lafayette | 4.25% | 9.55% | 0.51% | $41,526 |
Cities are ranked by effective property tax rate within Louisiana. Property taxes can vary significantly between municipalities even within the same state due to local levies, school districts, and assessment practices. 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 95 and 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 95 and rent of $1,625/mo, while Lafayette (ranked #4) has a cost index of 75 and rent of $1,279/mo — a 20-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.