State profile
Louisiana Cost of Living Comparison
Louisiana's 2024 price level is 88.207, fifth-lowest of 51, and its utilities are the second-cheapest in the country at 71.463; yet its renters carry one of the heaviest rent burdens, 32.8% of income.
Updated
88.207Louisiana all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 5 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Louisiana | Oklahoma | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 88.207 | 87.843 | +0.364 points |
| Rent price level | 63.104 | 62.763 | +0.341 points |
| Home value | $216,500±$1,367 | $199,800±$1,121 | +$16,700 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,055±$10 | $993±$7 | +$62 |
| Household income | $60,756±$408 | $65,039±$439 | −$4,283 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $1,180±$13 | $1,599±$11 | −$419 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Louisiana scales to $3,983 in Oklahoma at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Louisiana: low prices, low incomes, a heavy rent burden
Prices are low almost everywhere you look. Goods (93.700) rank third-lowest, utilities second-lowest, rents (63.104) sixth-lowest and other services tenth-lowest. The two-bedroom gross-rent median is $1,055, rank 39, and owners without a mortgage report median monthly costs of $442, rank 48.
Incomes are lower still, which is why renters struggle. The median household income of $60,756 ranks 49th, and renters spend 32.8% of income on gross rent, the fourth-highest share in the country. Low rents do not guarantee affordable rents.
Price adjustment changes the picture for the average resident. Real per capita personal income is $56,789, rank 31, eighteen places above the household-income rank, because Louisiana's dollars stretch further than most.
Louisiana has grown relatively cheaper: 91.141 in 2020 and 91.373 in 2021, then 90.489, 88.7 and 88.207, a fall of 2.934 points.
The state tax mix leans on consumption. General sales supplied 33.5% of fiscal 2025 collections and other selective sales 19.9%, or $707 per resident, while individual income tax supplied 29.0%. The state income tax has been a flat 3% since 2025. Severance taxes still brought in 2.0%. Total collections were $3,547 per resident, rank 37, and owners paid a median $1,180 a year in local real estate taxes, rank 48.
Two of the three neighbours are cheaper: Arkansas (86.937) and Mississippi (86.953), where the two-bedroom medians are $907 and $913. Texas is the costly side at 97.057, with rents at 96.503 and a median of $1,395. Oklahoma (87.843) is Louisiana's nearest price level nationally.
Category price levels in Louisiana
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 88.207 | 5 | 11.79% below |
| Goods | 93.700 | 3 | 6.30% below |
| Housing (rents) | 63.104 | 6 | 36.90% below |
| Utilities | 71.463 | 2 | 28.54% below |
| Other services | 95.706 | 10 | 4.29% below |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $56,789 | 31 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 91.141 · 2021 91.373 · 2022 90.489 · 2023 88.700 · 2024 88.207 (−2.934 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $1,604±$9 · rank 37, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $442±$4 · rank 48
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 32.8%±0.5 · rank 4
Louisiana state tax collections, FY2025
$16.38 billion in total, $3,547 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $4.76 billion | 29.0% | $1,030 |
| General sales | $5.49 billion | 33.5% | $1,188 |
| Property | $194.3 million | 1.2% | $42 |
| Motor fuel | $599.7 million | 3.7% | $130 |
| Other selective sales | $3.27 billion | 19.9% | $707 |
| Corporate income | $881.9 million | 5.4% | $191 |
| Licenses | $868.6 million | 5.3% | $188 |
| Severance | $326.5 million | 2.0% | $71 |
| Other taxes | $0.0 million | 0.0% | $0 |
Louisiana income tax on wages
For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, Louisiana taxes individual income at a flat 3%; the graduated brackets that topped out at 4.25% in 2022 to 2024 were repealed, according to the Louisiana Department of Revenue.
Read : Louisiana Department of Revenue: individual income tax rates and brackets. Price parities exclude income taxes.
Louisiana beside its neighbours
| Jurisdiction | All items | Rents | Goods | 2BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 88.207 | 63.104 | 93.700 | $1,055 |
| Arkansas | 86.937 | 58.203 | 93.597 | $907 |
| Mississippi | 86.953 | 56.456 | 96.219 | $913 |
| Texas | 97.057 | 96.503 | 98.083 | $1,395 |
Before you budget a move
A Louisiana housing decision needs address-specific insurance, ownership and travel inputs. This verified comparison provides no insurance premium and no estimate of a dwelling’s physical exposure. Obtain actual policy terms and deductibles before interpreting a historical home-value gap as the full difference in recurring ownership expense.
For a New Orleans-area rental or another destination, check whether the lease includes utilities and what parking or work travel would require. Keep a deposit, moving invoice or purchase charge outside the monthly cost column. Price indices combine consumption categories and cannot identify these contract terms.
Reviewed by the State Cost Compare Editorial Team · Review policy · Report a correction