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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Families relocating within Louisiana face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 4 cities. Lafayette — index 75 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,279/mo, healthcare index 95 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted mode…
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. With 121,467 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
The #2 spot goes to New Orleans, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,625/month — saving renters $3,240 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 95, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 99. The 35% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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. 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. Financially, that's significant.
177,959 residents · Louisiana
Dive into Shreveport's numbers: cost index 68 (43 points below national average), rent $1,170/month, income $48,465, and a home price of $134,461. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 68, while Healthcare runs 94. With 177,959 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Lafayette — cost index 75, rent $1,279/mo, income $61,454
Family-weighted scoring: income $61,454, healthcare index 95, population 121,467 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lafayette | 75 | $1,279 | Details |
| 2 | New Orleans | 95 | $1,625 | Details |
| 3 | Baton Rouge | 77 | $1,312 | Details |
| 4 | Shreveport | 68 | $1,170 | Details |
Families relocating within Louisiana face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 4 cities. Lafayette — index 75 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,279/mo, healthcare index 95 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
Here's Lafayette by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 75. Rent: $1,279/month. Income: $61,454/year. Home price: $219,057. Population: 121,467. The strongest category is Housing at 75; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,392 per year vs. the national median. There's real money on the table here.
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Lafayette leads because it scores across all four. New Orleans and Baton Rouge follow with different strengths in income and population.
Keep reading — the next section adds critical context. The 4 cities we track in Louisiana paint a clearly affordable picture. Average cost index: 79. Median rent: $1,347/month. Household income: $53,801. Louisiana is known for Cajun culture and below-average costs — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
Bottom line: Lafayette 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.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to families. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Louisiana by this personalized metric. 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.
Lafayette ranks #1 in Louisiana for this analysis with a cost index of 75 and median income of $61,454.
Lafayette scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,279/mo, and competitive median income of $61,454.
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.
Lafayette (ranked #1) has a cost index of 75 and rent of $1,279/mo, while Shreveport (ranked #4) has a cost index of 68 and rent of $1,170/mo — a 7-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 Lafayette is $1,279/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $616 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Lafayette is $219,057, which is 3.6× 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.