Overall
84.5
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Hammond, LA
Cost-of-living indicators for Hammond, LA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 84.5
- Overall RPP
- #382
- of 387 metros
- 48.2
- Rents RPP
- $118K
- $100K national buys
Hammond ranks #382 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.1 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Enid
The verdict
Hammond costs less than 99% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 84.5, 15.5% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 48.2.
- bottom 1%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 71.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $118,399 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $84,460.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Hammond's overall RPP fell -3.4 points, from 87.8 in 2023 to 84.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 62.4 to 48.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.1 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 4.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Hammond overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 88.5 |
| 2009 | 86.7 |
| 2010 | 91.0 |
| 2011 | 89.0 |
| 2012 | 86.6 |
| 2013 | 87.7 |
| 2014 | 86.7 |
| 2015 | 88.5 |
| 2016 | 87.7 |
| 2017 | 87.6 |
| 2018 | 88.7 |
| 2019 | 89.1 |
| 2020 | 86.9 |
| 2021 | 88.8 |
| 2022 | 89.3 |
| 2023 | 87.8 |
| 2024 | 84.5 |
Hammond vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
85 Bottom 1% higher than 1% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Hammond cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
48.2 RPP
- Services
Services
71 RPP
- Overall
Overall
84.5 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Hammond's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 48.2 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 71.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Hammond's cost comes from
Metros near Hammond's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Hammond (Hammond, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 48.2
- Enid: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 51.4
- Shreveport: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 52.3
- Florence: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 47.7
- Texarkana: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 49.9
- Dothan: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 46.9
- Houma: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 51.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
71.0
Cheap
Rents
48.2
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Hammond's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Hammond: rents index at 48.2, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 84.5.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA, Lake Charles, LA, Shreveport-Bossier City, LA. They resemble Hammond across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Hammond's overall index has fallen by 4.1 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$84,460
in Hammond, LA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,230
$75,000 nationally
$63,345
$125,000 nationally
$105,575
$150,000 nationally
$126,690
$200,000 nationally
$168,920
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
99/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
99th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
LA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Hammond, LA near the bottom of LA's metros
Among the 10 LA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Hammond, LA ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Hammond, LA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
0th percentile in LA
Services prices
#10 of 10
0th percentile in LA
Rent prices
#9 of 10
10th percentile in LA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within LA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Hammond, LA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (84.5 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (48.2 here).
Other LA Metros
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 92.7 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 92.6 Baton Rouge, LA 90.8 Lafayette, LA 87.2 Lake Charles, LA 85.9 Alexandria, LA 85.7
View all LA metros → Cheapest in LA → Most expensive in LA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Hammond's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.3 · Rents 51.3 Lake Charles, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.7 · Rents 51.8 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 72.6 · Rents 52.3 Enid, OK *
Goods 93.8 · Services 74.4 · Rents 51.4 Monroe, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 72.2 · Rents 42.8 Alexandria, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.1 · Rents 53.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Hammond, LA's index of 84.5.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Hammond
How to read Hammond's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $118,399 in Hammond. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 48.2, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Hammond head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Hammond, LA?
Hammond, LA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 84.5, meaning it is 15.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 71.0, and rents at 48.2. It ranks #382 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Hammond, LA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $84,460 in Hammond, LA. Conversely, $100K earned in Hammond, LA has the purchasing power of $118,399 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Hammond, LA?
Rents in Hammond, LA are indexed at 48.2, which is 51.8% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Hammond, LA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Hammond, LA's overall cost index changed by -4.1 points (from 88.5 to 84.5). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Hammond, LA?
The priciest category in Hammond, LA is goods at 93.7, 6.3% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 48.2, 51.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Hammond, LA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Enid, Shreveport-Bossier City, Florence-Muscle Shoals. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Hammond, LA's 84.5.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.