Southeast · Updated October 2026
Louisiana in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,161/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
22.8%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
3%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.53%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
94.9
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
72nd
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Louisiana stands out: the 10th lightest state and local tax bill, the 9th cheapest two-bedroom rent, the 8th lowest everyday costs and the 5th lowest top income-tax rate among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 5th highest violent crime, the 5th highest natural-disaster risk and the 3rd lowest median household income.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 5.4% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 10th lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in New Orleans (New Orleans Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 65°F | 48°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 79°F | 62°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 91°F | 76°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 80°F | 64°F |
$1,480/mo two-bedroom · $1,229 one-bedroom (New Orleans-Metairie, LA HUD Metro FMR Area)
New Orleans is culturally unlike anywhere else in America — music, food, Carnival and architecture that justify the tradeoffs. Those tradeoffs are serious: hurricane and flood risk, high crime, poor infrastructure and expensive insurance.
$1,149/mo two-bedroom · $1,014 one-bedroom (Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Baton Rouge is the state capital and LSU's town, with petrochemical plants along the river and notoriously bad traffic. Cheap housing, hot humid weather, and a big-game-day culture.
$1,092/mo two-bedroom · $971 one-bedroom (Lafayette, LA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Lafayette is the heart of Cajun country — outstanding food, live music, a distinctive French-influenced culture and a low cost of living. The economy tracks oil prices closely.
$1,045/mo two-bedroom · $926 one-bedroom (Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA)
Shreveport is a northwest Louisiana city with casinos, a film history and very low housing costs. It has lost population for years, and the job market is thin outside healthcare and gaming.
$1,231/mo two-bedroom · $941 one-bedroom (Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Lake Charles is southwest Louisiana's industrial and casino city, with petrochemical plants and LNG export terminals. Good industrial pay and low costs, but severe hurricane exposure, with major damage in 2020.
$1,017/mo two-bedroom · $794 one-bedroom (Monroe, LA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Monroe is the hub of northeast Louisiana, with the University of Louisiana Monroe and a regional healthcare base. Very affordable and conservative, humid and prone to flooding.
$1,480/mo two-bedroom · $1,229 one-bedroom (New Orleans-Metairie, LA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Metairie is New Orleans's largest suburb — safer, quieter, better-drained and more car-oriented than the city, with the same access to food and Carnival a short drive away.
$1,098/mo two-bedroom · $903 one-bedroom (Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA MSA)
Houma is a bayou city in Terrebonne Parish, tied to offshore oil services, shipbuilding and seafood. Cajun culture and low costs, but on the front line of hurricanes and coastal land loss.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Louisiana’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 3% (Louisiana tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 5.4% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,161 a month and a one-bedroom for about $973, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $598 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 94.9 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 61.9 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 22.8% of the state’s median household income of $60,986.
Louisiana recorded 519.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 5th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are hurricanes and flooding. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Louisiana’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 72nd percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport and Lake Charles. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.