Louisiana vs Texas
Your $100,000 in Louisiana is worth
$113,379
at national prices · RPP 88.2BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
The same income in Texas is worth
$102,987
at national prices · RPP 97.1BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
Your income goes −$10,392 less far in Texas (−9.2% purchasing power).
Show the math
Where the difference comes from
Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.
| Component | Louisiana | Texas | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 88.2 | 97.1 | +10.1% |
| Housing rents | 63.1 | 96.5 | +52.9% |
| Goods | 93.7 | 98.1 | +4.7% |
| Utilities | 71.5 | 87.5 | +22.4% |
| Other services | 95.7 | 97.1 | +1.5% |
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API
Housing reality check
Typical rent and home price in each state — tangible context beyond the index.
US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official API
Tax at a glance
Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20
| Tax | Louisiana | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (top rate) | 3.00% | None |
| Sales tax (combined avg) | 10.11% | 8.20% |
Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20
Louisiana vs Texas: the read
The bottom line
Move a $100,000 income from Louisiana to Texas and its purchasing power changes from $113,379 to $102,987 in national-average terms — a loss of $10,392. Louisiana is the cheaper of the two, running at 88.2 on the price index versus 97.1.
Where the difference comes from
The widest gap is housing rents: Louisiana sits at 63.1 and Texas at 96.5 (100 = national). Louisiana has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.
Housing
Median rent runs $1,064 in Louisiana against $1,403 in Texas, and the typical home $216,500 versus $283,800. Louisiana is the more affordable place to buy.
Taxes
On tax, Louisiana has 3.00% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 10.11%; Texas has no wage income tax and 8.20%. That income-tax difference can outweigh a chunk of the cost-of-living gap for higher earners.
Full profiles: Louisiana ·Texas. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.
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