State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Louisiana
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Louisiana from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 10 metro areas.
- 88.2
- Statewide RPP
- #47
- of 51 states by cost
- 63.1
- Rents RPP
- 10
- Metro areas
Louisiana ranks #47 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has fallen 3.3 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- fell -0.5 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Oklahoma
The verdict
Louisiana costs less than 92% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 88.2, 11.8% below the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 63.1
- Oklahoma
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.4 points away
- Slidell-Mandeville-Covington
- highest-cost metro, 92.7
- Monroe
- lowest-cost metro, 83.6
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $113,370 when earned in Louisiana.
Metro areas in Louisiana, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | 92.7 | 93.7 | 71.7 | 85.4 |
| 2 | New Orleans-Metairie | 92.6 | 93.7 | 71.2 | 86.0 |
| 3 | Baton Rouge | 90.8 | 93.7 | 71.2 | 74.2 |
| 4 | Lafayette | 87.2 | 93.7 | 71.2 | 58.8 |
| 5 | Lake Charles | 85.9 | 93.7 | 71.7 | 51.8 |
| 6 | Alexandria | 85.7 | 93.7 | 71.1 | 53.7 |
| 7 | Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | 85.1 | 93.7 | 71.3 | 51.3 |
| 8 | Shreveport-Bossier City | 84.8 | 93.7 | 72.6 | 52.3 |
| 9 | Hammond | 84.5 | 93.7 | 71.0 | 48.2 |
| 10 | Monroe | 83.6 | 93.7 | 72.2 | 42.8 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Reading the Louisiana Cost of Living Picture
Louisiana sits in an affordability lane closest to Oklahoma, South Dakota, Iowa. A lower statewide index does not mean every place or budget category is cheap; it means this state belongs with those peers before a household narrows to a metro. The highest category and Rents are 30.6 points apart, so the statewide average joins two materially different household experiences.
Louisiana captures 10 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA leads on cost at 92.7, while Monroe, LA sits at the opposite end at 83.6 - a gap of 9.1 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 93.7, for services 71.5, and for rents 63.1. Rents run 25.1 points below the statewide index here, so housing is what pulls the whole figure down — a household that already owns outright captures much less of that discount than a renter does.
Over time, Louisiana's statewide index has eased by 3.3 points, narrowing the premium versus lower-cost states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $113,370 of national buying power when earned inside Louisiana, and a household relocating here would need roughly $88,207 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 10 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Louisiana vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
88 Bottom 8% higher than 8% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Louisiana RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has fallen 3.3 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 91.5 |
| 2009 | 90.2 |
| 2010 | 92.2 |
| 2011 | 92.7 |
| 2012 | 92.9 |
| 2013 | 92.9 |
| 2014 | 93.4 |
| 2015 | 92.8 |
| 2016 | 93.6 |
| 2017 | 92.4 |
| 2018 | 90.8 |
| 2019 | 91.2 |
| 2020 | 91.1 |
| 2021 | 91.4 |
| 2022 | 90.5 |
| 2023 | 88.7 |
| 2024 | 88.2 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Louisiana's overall RPP fell -0.5 points, from 88.7 in 2023 to 88.2 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 76.7 to 71.5. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
What this means in Louisiana
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Louisiana.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Slidell-Mandeville-Covington (92.7) and Monroe (83.6) sit 9 index points apart inside Louisiana. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 63.1 (36.9% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Louisiana against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Louisiana, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Louisiana: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (88.2 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (63.1 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cheaper is living in Louisiana than the U.S. average?
Louisiana has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 88.2, meaning it is 11.8% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 71.5, and rents at 63.1.
What salary in Louisiana equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $88,207 in Louisiana. Conversely, $100K earned in Louisiana has the purchasing power of $113,370 at the national average.
How much of Louisiana's affordability is rents?
Rents in Louisiana are indexed at 63.1, which is 36.9% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which metros stretch Louisiana's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in Louisiana is Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA with an RPP of 92.7. The most affordable is Monroe, LA at 83.6. There are 10 metro areas in Louisiana with BEA price data.
Has Louisiana gotten more affordable over time?
From 2008 to 2024, Louisiana's overall cost index changed by -3.3 points (from 91.5 to 88.2). The cost of living has been declining.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.