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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. New Orleans stands out at 97 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 97, rent $1,625/mo, income $55,339
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
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans | 97 | $1,625 | Details |
| 2 | Baton Rouge | 91 | $1,312 | Details |
| 3 | Lafayette | 90 | $1,279 | Details |
| 4 | Shreveport | 85 | $1,170 | Details |
Look, the numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Louisiana beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. New Orleans stands out at 97 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 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 15% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,625/month while the median household pulls in $55,339/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 89, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $239,751 — $227,619 below the national median.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
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: 97. Rent: $1,625/month. Income: $55,339/year. Home price: $239,751. Population: 364,136. The strongest category is Utilities at 89; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,240 per year vs. the national median. The data here speaks for itself.
219,573 residents · Louisiana
Baton Rouge earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. That's a reasonable number. The 91 cost index sits 21 points below the national baseline, and the $49,944 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $224,899 — $242,471 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 78, while Healthcare trails at 94.
121,467 residents · Louisiana
What does daily life actually cost in Lafayette? Start with the 25% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 76) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 93) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $61,454 and homes at $219,057 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons.
177,959 residents · Louisiana
Dive into Shreveport's numbers: cost index 85 (27 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 62, while Healthcare runs 87. With 177,959 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Cities are ranked by overall cost of living index in descending order. High-cost cities are typically driven by housing prices — a city with an index of 150 has overall costs roughly 50% above the national median, with housing often 2-3× that premium. 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 97 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 97 and rent of $1,625/mo, while Shreveport (ranked #4) has a cost index of 85 and rent of $1,170/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 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.