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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
For retirees on a fixed income, every percentage point matters. Our retiree-weighted model scored 4 cities in Louisiana and Baton Rouge (index 77, healthcare 95, state tax 4.25%) takes the top spot.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baton Rouge | 77 | $1,312 | Details |
| 2 | Shreveport | 68 | $1,170 | Details |
| 3 | Lafayette | 75 | $1,279 | Details |
| 4 | New Orleans | 95 | $1,625 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Baton Rouge — cost index 77, rent $1,312/mo, income $49,944
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 95, state tax 4.25%, cost index 77 — protecting fixed retirement income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
For retirees on a fixed income, every percentage point matters. Our retiree-weighted model scored 4 cities in Louisiana and Baton Rouge (index 77, healthcare 95, state tax 4.25%) takes the top spot.
Retirement affordability is about protecting fixed income. Our model weights healthcare costs at 25 points (medical bills are the #1 financial risk in retirement), cost index at 25 points, and state tax burden at 15 points (taxes directly reduce pension and Social Security income). Baton Rouge leads with low healthcare costs, a 4.25% state tax rate, and a cost index of 77. Shreveport offers competitive healthcare and cost metrics.
Dive into Baton Rouge's numbers: cost index 77 (34 points below national average), rent $1,312/month, income $49,944, and a home price of $224,899. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 77, while Healthcare runs 95. With 219,573 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
It checks most boxes — but the healthcare costs are the asterisk. And depending on your situation, in Baton Rouge, the healthcare index sits at 95 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
Bottom line: Baton Rouge 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.
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. Over a five-year window, that difference is life-changing.
177,959 residents · Louisiana
The #2 spot goes to Shreveport, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,170/month — saving renters $8,700 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 68, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 94. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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.
364,136 residents · Louisiana
The #4 spot goes to New Orleans, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,625/month — we had to double-check this one — — 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.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to retirees. 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.
Baton Rouge ranks #1 in Louisiana for this analysis with a cost index of 77 and median income of $49,944.
Baton Rouge scores highest for retirees due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,312/mo, and competitive median income of $49,944.
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.
Baton Rouge (ranked #1) has a cost index of 77 and rent of $1,312/mo, while New Orleans (ranked #4) has a cost index of 95 and rent of $1,625/mo — a 18-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 Baton Rouge is $1,312/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $583 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Baton Rouge is $224,899, which is 4.5× 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.