Overall
83.6
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Monroe, LA
Cost-of-living indicators for Monroe, LA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 83.6
- Overall RPP
- #387
- of 387 metros
- 42.8
- Rents RPP
- $120K
- $100K national buys
Monroe ranks #387 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.7 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Eagle Pass
The verdict
Monroe costs less than 99% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 83.6, 16.4% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 42.8.
- bottom 1%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 72.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $119,622 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $83,597.
Monroe vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
84 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
Monroe cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
42.8 RPP
- Services
Services
72.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
83.6 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Monroe's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 42.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 72.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Monroe's cost comes from
Metros near Monroe's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Monroe (Monroe, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 42.8
- Eagle Pass: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 53.7
- Dothan: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 46.9
- Texarkana: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 49.9
- Enid: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 51.4
- Hammond: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 48.2
- Shreveport: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 52.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
72.2
Cheap
Rents
42.8
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Monroe's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Monroe: rents index at 42.8, 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 83.6.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Hammond, LA, Paducah, KY-IL, Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA. They resemble Monroe 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, Monroe's overall index has fallen by 2.7 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:
$83,597
in Monroe, LA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$41,799
$75,000 nationally
$62,698
$125,000 nationally
$104,496
$150,000 nationally
$125,396
$200,000 nationally
$167,194
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
100/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
100th 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.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Monroe's overall RPP did not change 0.0 points, from 83.6 in 2023 to 83.6 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 77.0 to 72.2. 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 2.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 4.3 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Monroe overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.3 |
| 2009 | 84.2 |
| 2010 | 88.6 |
| 2011 | 87.6 |
| 2012 | 86.4 |
| 2013 | 86.8 |
| 2014 | 87.9 |
| 2015 | 85.1 |
| 2016 | 86.1 |
| 2017 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 86.2 |
| 2019 | 85.8 |
| 2020 | 83.4 |
| 2021 | 86.5 |
| 2022 | 86.6 |
| 2023 | 83.6 |
| 2024 | 83.6 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Monroe'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.
Hammond, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.0 · Rents 48.2 Paducah, KY-IL
Goods 96.0 · Services 76.9 · Rents 48.8 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.3 · Rents 51.3 Enid, OK *
Goods 93.8 · Services 74.4 · Rents 51.4 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
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Monroe, LA's index of 83.6.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
LA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Monroe, LA near the bottom of LA's metros
Among the 10 LA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Monroe, LA ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Monroe, LA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
0th percentile in LA
Services prices
#2 of 10
80th percentile in LA
Rent prices
#10 of 10
0th 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 Monroe, 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 (83.6 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (42.8 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 →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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.
What this means for Monroe
How to read Monroe'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 $119,622 in Monroe. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 42.8, 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 Monroe 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 Monroe, LA?
Monroe, LA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 83.6, meaning it is 16.4% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 72.2, and rents at 42.8. It ranks #387 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Monroe, LA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $83,597 in Monroe, LA. Conversely, $100K earned in Monroe, LA has the purchasing power of $119,622 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Monroe, LA?
Rents in Monroe, LA are indexed at 42.8, which is 57.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Monroe, LA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Monroe, LA's overall cost index changed by -2.7 points (from 86.3 to 83.6). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Monroe, LA?
The priciest category in Monroe, 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 42.8, 57.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Monroe, LA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Eagle Pass, Dothan, Texarkana. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Monroe, LA's 83.6.
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.