The 70601 zip code in Lake Charles tops our ranking of the most affordable places to live in Louisiana.
We looked at 147 zip codes in the state, evaluating home values, rental costs, energy rates, property taxes, and five other affordability indicators. We used the data we gathered to calculate our proprietary Affordability Score for each zip code.
Top 10 most affordable places to live in Louisiana
| Rank | City | Affordability Score | Median home value | Rental costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Charles 🥇 | 100.0 | $88,233 | $925 |
| 2 | Shreveport 🥈 | 99.3 | $119,004 | $924 |
| 3 | Houma 🥉 | 98.6 | $184,128 | $1,173 |
| 4 | Deridder | 97.6 | $167,472 | $1,207 |
| 5 | Sulphur | 96.4 | $169,060 | $919 |
| 6 | Leesville | 95.2 | $157,898 | $1,025 |
| 7 | Baker | 94.9 | $172,552 | $1,153 |
| 8 | West Monroe | 94.6 | $205,667 | $1,091 |
| 9 | Monroe | 93.3 | $56,532 | $1,417 |
| 10 | Bastrop | 93.3 | $77,025 | $1,417 |
Buy in Louisiana and get cash back
Get matched with a top agent in Lake Charles or any other affordable place in the state. Compare your money-saving options until you find the perfect fit, or walk away with no obligation.
1. Lake Charles
Here's why the 70601 zip code in Lake Charles is Louisiana's most affordable place to live.
🔎 Key data about Lake Charles
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 100.0 | No. 1 | N/A |
| Median home value | $88,233[1] | No. 11 | -$121,555.58 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.8 | No. 5 | -1.6 |
| Home value five-year change | 8.5%[2] | No. 38 | 0.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -9.0%[3] | No. 1 | -5.4% |
| Rental costs | $925[4] | No. 6 | -$492 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.91% | No. 24 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | $48,385[5] | No. 101 | -$13,600 |
| Property taxes | $340[6] | No. 12 | -$996 |
| Energy costs | $0.14 kWh[7] | No. 67 | $0.00 |
Lake Charles's 70601 zip code is the cheapest place to live in Louisiana, leading the 147 markets we evaluated.
The median home value is $88,233, making it the 11th-cheapest housing market in the state. Forecasts project a -9.0% change in home values in the next year. Rent in the zip code averages $925 per month, which is the 24th cheapest amount in Louisiana.
The median property tax for homeowners in Lake Charles is $340 per household, the No. 12 ranked market in Louisiana.
Residents pay $0.14 per kWh of electricity, which ranks No. 67 among Louisiana markets.
2. Shreveport
The 71104 zip code is the 2nd-cheapest place to live in Louisiana.
🔎 Key data about Shreveport
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 99.3 | No. 2 | N/A |
| Median home value | $119,004[8] | No. 22 | -$90,783.69 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.354005889 | No. 14 | -1.0 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.121746646[9] | No. 87 | 3.7% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -3.3%[10] | No. 80 | 0.3% |
| Rental costs | $924[11] | No. 5 | -$493 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.83% | No. 19 | -0.5% |
| Median household income | 50554[12] | No. 93 | -$11,431 |
| Property taxes | $1,034[13] | No. 66 | -$302 |
| Energy costs | 0.1327572256 kWh[14] | No. 36 | $0.00 |
Shreveport's 71104 zip code has a median home value of $119,004, which is the 80th-cheapest housing market in Louisiana. You can rent for an average of $924 per month. That's the 5th-cheapest price in the state.
The average household income in the zip code is 50554, which ranks 93rd-highest in the state.
Homeowners in Shreveport pay a median property tax of $1,034 per year, making it the 66th-most affordable market in Louisiana.
Shreveport ranks No. 36 among Louisiana energy markets. You'll pay 0.1327572256 per kWh of electricity.
3. Houma
The 3rd-cheapest place to live in Louisiana is Houma's 70364 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Houma
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 98.6 | No. 3 | N/A |
| Median home value | $184,128[15] | No. 65 | -$25,660.37 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.632163433 | No. 21 | -0.8 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.05524899057[16] | No. 24 | -2.9% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -6.9%[17] | No. 8 | -3.3% |
| Rental costs | $1,173[18] | No. 18 | -$244 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.68% | No. 13 | -0.6% |
| Median household income | 69953[19] | No. 39 | $7,968 |
| Property taxes | $669[20] | No. 48 | -$667 |
| Energy costs | 0.1269472466 kWh[21] | No. 1 | -$0.01 |
The No. 65 cheapest housing market in Louisiana is Houma's 70364 zip code, with a median home value of $184,128. Rents in the market average $1,173 per month, making it the 18th-most affordable rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Houma is $669, which makes it the 48th-cheapest place in Louisiana. Houma ranks No. 1 among Louisiana markets by energy costs. Residents pay 0.1269472466 per kWh of electricity.
4. Deridder
The 70634 zip code in Deridder comes in at No. 4 on our list of the cheapest places to live in Louisiana.
🔎 Key data about Deridder
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 97.6 | No. 4 | N/A |
| Median home value | $167,472[22] | No. 50 | -$42,315.90 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.450896339 | No. 16 | -0.9 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.08467482665[23] | No. 38 | 0.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -7.1%[24] | No. 6 | -3.5% |
| Rental costs | $1,207[25] | No. 21 | -$210 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.77% | No. 16 | -0.5% |
| Median household income | 68331[26] | No. 41 | $6,346 |
| Property taxes | $488[27] | No. 28 | -$848 |
| Energy costs | 0.1400793149 kWh[28] | No. 123 | $0.01 |
The No. 50 cheapest housing market in Louisiana is Deridder's 70634 zip code, where the median home value is $167,472. Renters here pay an average of $1,207 per month.
When it comes to energy costs, Deridder ranks 123rd among Louisiana markets. Residents pay 0.1400793149 per kWh of electricity.
The median property tax for households in the zip code is $488, which makes it the 28th-cheapest market in Louisiana.
5. Sulphur
The 70663 zip code in Sulphur ranks No. 5 among Louisiana's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Sulphur
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 96.4 | No. 5 | N/A |
| Median home value | $169,060[29] | No. 51 | -$40,728.56 |
| Home affordability ratio | 3.004114402 | No. 55 | -0.4 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.08467482665[30] | No. 38 | 0.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -7.1%[31] | No. 6 | -3.5% |
| Rental costs | $919[32] | No. 4 | -$498 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.63% | No. 10 | -0.7% |
| Median household income | 56276[33] | No. 79 | -$5,709 |
| Property taxes | $662[34] | No. 45 | -$674 |
| Energy costs | 0.1350313555 kWh[35] | No. 67 | $0.00 |
Sulphur's 70663 zip code has a median home value of $169,060, the 51st-cheapest market in the state. Forecasts project a -7.1% change in home values in the next year.
The median property tax per household in Sulphur is $662. It's the 45th-cheapest market by tax rate in Louisiana.
6. Leesville
The No. 6 most affordable place to live in Louisiana is the 71446 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Leesville
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 95.2 | No. 6 | N/A |
| Median home value | $157,898[36] | No. 44 | -$51,890.25 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.858241819 | No. 36 | -0.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.09013496769[37] | No. 74 | 0.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -2.8%[38] | No. 101 | 0.8% |
| Rental costs | $1,025[39] | No. 9 | -$392 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.86% | No. 22 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | 55243[40] | No. 81 | -$6,742 |
| Property taxes | $857[41] | No. 56 | -$479 |
| Energy costs | 0.1400793149 kWh[42] | No. 123 | $0.01 |
The back half of our top 10 kicks off with Leesville's 71446 zip code, which has the 44th-cheapest home values in Louisiana. The median home value is $157,898. Rents average $1,025 per month, making it the 9th-most affordable rental market in the state.
Residents pay 0.1400793149 per kWh of electricity. It's the 123rd-cheapest energy market.
7. Baker
Baker's 70714 zip code is the 7th-cheapest place to live in Louisiana.
🔎 Key data about Baker
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.9 | No. 7 | N/A |
| Median home value | $172,552[43] | No. 58 | -$37,236.42 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.823947806 | No. 35 | -0.6 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.219581341[44] | No. 124 | 13.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.6%[45] | No. 130 | 2.0% |
| Rental costs | $1,153[46] | No. 17 | -$264 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.89% | No. 23 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | 61103[47] | No. 64 | -$882 |
| Property taxes | $665[48] | No. 47 | -$671 |
| Energy costs | 0.1350313555 kWh[49] | No. 67 | $0.00 |
You'll find the 58th-cheapest home values in Louisiana in Baker's 70714 zip code. The median value: $172,552. Renters in Baker pay an average of $1,153 per month.
Homeowners in Baker pay a median property tax of $665 per year, which is Louisiana's 47th-most affordable market.
The average household income is 61103, which ranks 64th-highest in the state.
8. West Monroe
The 8th-cheapest place to live in Louisiana is West Monroe's 71291 zip code.
🔎 Key data about West Monroe
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.6 | No. 8 | N/A |
| Median home value | $205,667[50] | No. 82 | -$4,121.21 |
| Home affordability ratio | 3.049265955 | No. 58 | -0.3 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.197470318[51] | No. 114 | 11.3% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.9%[52] | No. 119 | 1.7% |
| Rental costs | $1,091[53] | No. 14 | -$326 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.62% | No. 9 | -0.7% |
| Median household income | 67448[54] | No. 45 | $5,463 |
| Property taxes | $1,061[55] | No. 68 | -$275 |
| Energy costs | 0.1269472466 kWh[56] | No. 1 | -$0.01 |
The 82nd-cheapest housing market in Louisiana is West Monroe's 71291 zip code, with a median home value of $205,667. Renters pay an average of $1,091 per month, the No. 14 rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in West Monroe is $1,061, which makes it the 68th-cheapest place in Louisiana. The average household income of 67448 ranks 45th.
9. Monroe
Monroe's 71202 zip code sneaks into the top ten of Louisiana's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Monroe
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 93.3 | No. 9 | N/A |
| Median home value | $56,532[57] | No. 3 | -$153,256.41 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.046247797 | No. 9 | -1.3 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.1182968602[58] | No. 85 | 3.4% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -3.5%[59] | No. 74 | 0.1% |
| Rental costs | $1,417[60] | No. 40 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.29% | No. 39 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | 27627[61] | No. 146 | -$34,358 |
| Property taxes | $200[62] | No. 1 | -$1,136 |
| Energy costs | 0.1269472466 kWh[63] | No. 1 | -$0.01 |
The 3rd-cheapest housing market in Louisiana is Monroe's 71202 zip code, where the median home value is $56,532. Renters pay an average of $1,417 per month. It's the state's 40th-cheapest rental market.
The median property tax for households within the zip code is $200, which makes it the 1st-cheapest property tax rate in Louisiana.
10. Bastrop
The final spot on our list of the most affordable places to live in Louisiana goes to the 71220 zip code in Bastrop.
🔎 Key data about Bastrop
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 147 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 93.3 | No. 10 | N/A |
| Median home value | $77,025[64] | No. 8 | -$132,763.43 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.039092167 | No. 8 | -1.3 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.1210638335[65] | No. 86 | 3.6% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -2.9%[66] | No. 98 | 0.7% |
| Rental costs | $1,417[67] | No. 40 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.29% | No. 39 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | 37774[68] | No. 132 | -$24,211 |
| Property taxes | $396[69] | No. 18 | -$940 |
| Energy costs | 0.1269472466 kWh[70] | No. 1 | -$0.01 |
The 8th-most affordable market in Louisiana is Bastrop's 71220 zip code. The median home value is $77,025. Rent in the market costs $1,417 per month on average, making it the 40th-most affordable rental market in Louisiana.
The median property tax for households in Bastrop is $396, which is the 18th-cheapest property tax rate in the state.
Bastrop ranks No. 1 among Louisiana markets by energy costs, with households paying 0.1269472466 per kWh of electricity.
How we ranked the most affordable places in Louisiana
We evaluated 147 zip codes in Louisiana with a population over 10,000 on nine metrics. We then assigned each market an Affordability Score based on its weighted and combined rankings.
Our proprietary Affordability Score is a score on a scale of 0 (worst in state) to 100 (best in state) that estimates the affordability of a particular zip code. It takes into account these key data points for each zip code.
- Median home value: The median home value for each zip code comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. The lower the median home value relative to the median value in Louisiana, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 23.8% to median home value.
- Home affordability ratio. The home affordability ratio is the typical median home value divided by the median household income in the zip code, which reveals the number of years of household income needed to afford a home in that zip code. A lower ratio is better because it means more households can afford a home. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 23.8% to the home affordability ratio.
- Home value five-year change: The home value five-year change is the amount that the median home value in the zip code has risen or fallen during the last five years. Our data comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. We assign a weight of 4.8% to the home value five-year change.
- Home value one-year forecast: The home value one-year forecast comes from Zillow Forecast data. It projects how much home values in the zip code are forecasted to change in the next year. We assign a weight of 4.8% to the home value one-year forecast.
- Rental costs. The rental costs are the observed rents in the zip code, sourced from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. The index includes "listed rents that fall into the 40th to 60th percentile range for all homes and apartments in a given region." We assign a weight of 11.9% to rental costs.
- Median household income: The inflation-adjusted median household income figures for the zip code comes from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 4.8% to median household income.
- Rent affordability ratio. The rent affordability ratio is the ratio of rental costs divided by median household income, which provides the percentage of household income needed to pay a typical month’s rent in the zip code. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 11.9% to the rent affordability ratio.
- Property taxes: The property tax figures are the median real estate taxes paid in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The lower the property tax rate relative to the Louisiana average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 7.1% to property taxes.
- Energy costs: The energy costs are the costs of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of residential electricity in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy. The lower the cost of electricity relative to the Louisiana average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 7.1% to energy costs.
✍️ Editor’s note: Our Affordability Score identifies the most affordable places in a state by zip code. Often the zip code we identify will represent an entire city or portion of a city.
Occasionally the zip code we identify will encompass an area that includes one or more small towns. In these cases, the data we’ve gathered applies to the entire zip code, not just the single town we’re using to help identify the zip code's location.
If you’re looking to move to one of these affordable places, we recommend doing additional research to make sure the costs in the area — and the quality of life it offers — meet your specific needs.
