East Baton Rouge County · Louisiana · South · 223k residents
Baton Rouge, LA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Baton Rouge: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Louisiana median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Baton Rouge is $234,700, 8% above the Louisiana median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,091/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 83 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $49,994 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Baton Rouge is $234,700, 8% above the median for ACS-covered places in Louisiana.
- Household income: Median household income is $49,994, 10.4% below the median for ACS-covered places in Louisiana.
- Adult education: 36.6% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 28.4% above the median for ACS-covered places in Louisiana.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 4.7 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A Mississippi-side capital where Louisiana politics, Cajun and Creole food, and college energy overlap.
Known for: State government, LSU, riverfront history, Cajun and Creole food, and live music.
Calendar note: Baton Rouge Blues Festival is a defining annual event.
Story source: Visit Baton Rouge
- Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Baton Rouge about 65 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 215 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 38 and an average commute of 26 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Baton Rouge side by side
Cost of living index
83
ACS median home value
$234,700
2-bedroom rent
$1,091/mo
Median household income
$49,994
Housing momentum
How fast Baton Rouge's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
47/100
Steady
Ranks Baton Rouge's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Baton Rouge's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $234,700 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $140 |
| Property tax rate | 0.55% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $903/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,091/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.01% |
| Sales tax | 9.55% |
| Cost of living index | 83 |
| Groceries index | 97 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $45/mo |
| Gas price | $2.95/gal |
| Healthcare index | 94 |
| Childcare (per child) | $800/mo |
| Median household income | $49,994 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% |
| Population | 223k |
| Crime index | 75/100 |
| School rating | 4.2/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | 98/100 |
| Avg. commute | 26 min |
| Sunny days / year | 215 days |
| July high | 91°F |
| January low | 40°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | 0.0% |
| Home price MoM | +0.2% |
| Rent YoY | +2.3% |
| Rent MoM | +0.4% |
| Ocean coast | 65 mi |
| Big lake | 67 mi |
| Mountains | 330 mi |
| Major airport | 6 mi |
| Ski resort | 559 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Central, LA · 30k
- Zachary, LA · 20k
- Prairieville, LA · 35k
- Hammond, LA · 22k
- New Iberia, LA · 28k
Similar size
- Shreveport, LA · 181k
- Metairie, LA · 140k
- Lafayette, LA · 122k
- Lake Charles, LA · 81k
- New Orleans, LA · 372k
Real listings in Baton Rouge
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Baton Rouge, LA?
- Baton Rouge indexes at 83 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,091/mo and a acs median home value of $234,700.
- How much does a house cost in Baton Rouge?
- The acs median home value in Baton Rouge is $234,700, 8% above the Louisiana median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Baton Rouge?
- A two-bedroom in Baton Rouge rents for about $1,091/mo.