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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.
#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 | Lafayette | 75 | $1,279 | Details |
| 4 | Shreveport | 68 | $1,170 | 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.
Why New Orleans ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 95 on the cost index, residents save roughly 16% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,625/month while the median household pulls in $55,339/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 95, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $239,751 — $227,619 below the national median.
Bottom line: New Orleans 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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
364,136 residents · Louisiana
Dive into New Orleans's numbers: cost index 95 (16 points below national average), rent $1,625/month, income $55,339, and a home price of $239,751. And most of the time, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 95, while Healthcare runs 99. With 364,136 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
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. The data here speaks for itself (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
121,467 residents · Louisiana
Dive into Lafayette's numbers: cost index 75 (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.
177,959 residents · Louisiana
Shreveport earns its position at #4 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 68 cost index sits 43 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 68, while Healthcare trails at 94.
Cities with the highest rents in Louisiana are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. 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 Shreveport (ranked #4) has a cost index of 68 and rent of $1,170/mo — a 27-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.