Overall
92.7
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA
Cost-of-living indicators for Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 92.7
- Overall RPP
- #218
- of 387 metros
- 85.4
- Rents RPP
- $108K
- $100K national buys
Slidell ranks #218 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.0 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford
The verdict
Slidell costs less than 56% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.7, 7.3% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 71.7.
- bottom 44%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 71.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,845 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,726.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$92,726
in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,363
$75,000 nationally
$69,545
$125,000 nationally
$115,908
$150,000 nationally
$139,089
$200,000 nationally
$185,452
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
41/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
41st 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.
Service-cost relief profile
How Slidell's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Slidell: their index is 71.7, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 92.7 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are New Orleans-Metairie, LA, Idaho Falls, ID, Knoxville, TN. They resemble Slidell 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, Slidell's overall index has fallen by 4.0 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.
Slidell vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 44% higher than 44% 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
Slidell cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
85.4 RPP
- Services
Services
71.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
92.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Slidell's strongest departure is services at 71.7; rents follows at 85.4. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Slidell's cost comes from
Metros near Slidell's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Slidell (Slidell, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 85.4
- Blacksburg: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 74.4
- Springfield: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 71.6
- Yuma: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.8
- Champaign: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 71.6
- Dayton: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 72.7
- Utica: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 66.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
71.7
Cheap
Rents
85.4
Cheap
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Slidell's overall RPP fell -0.2 points, from 92.9 in 2023 to 92.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 76.8 to 71.7. 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 4.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 4.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Slidell overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 96.7 |
| 2009 | 95.8 |
| 2010 | 95.9 |
| 2011 | 97.2 |
| 2012 | 97.6 |
| 2013 | 99.0 |
| 2014 | 97.8 |
| 2015 | 97.7 |
| 2016 | 98.7 |
| 2017 | 98.9 |
| 2018 | 94.2 |
| 2019 | 95.8 |
| 2020 | 95.7 |
| 2021 | 93.9 |
| 2022 | 93.2 |
| 2023 | 92.9 |
| 2024 | 92.7 |
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA's index of 92.7.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
LA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA near the bottom of LA's metros
Among the 10 LA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
0th percentile in LA
Services prices
#4 of 10
60th percentile in LA
Rent prices
#2 of 10
80th 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 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, 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 (92.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (85.4 here).
Other LA Metros
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 92.6 Baton Rouge, LA 90.8 Lafayette, LA 87.2 Lake Charles, LA 85.9 Alexandria, LA 85.7 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 85.1
View all LA metros → Cheapest in LA → Most expensive in LA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Slidell'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.
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.2 · Rents 86.0 Idaho Falls, ID
Goods 96.2 · Services 69.7 · Rents 84.0 Knoxville, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 71.9 · Rents 82.8 Bismarck, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 75.0 · Rents 84.0 Omaha, NE-IA
Goods 94.1 · Services 76.4 · Rents 86.4 Helena, MT
Goods 96.0 · Services 72.6 · Rents 90.1
Compare to Other Metros
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.
What this means for Slidell
How to read Slidell'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 $107,845 in Slidell. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 71.7, 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 Slidell 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 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA?
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.7, meaning it is 7.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 71.7, and rents at 85.4. It ranks #218 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,726 in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA. Conversely, $100K earned in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA has the purchasing power of $107,845 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA?
Rents in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA are indexed at 85.4, which is 14.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA's overall cost index changed by -4.0 points (from 96.7 to 92.7). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA?
The priciest category in Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA is goods at 93.7, 6.3% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 71.7, 28.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Springfield, Yuma. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA's 92.7.
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.