Moving from Alabama to Louisiana
Alabama to Louisiana is a move of about 408 miles. Median rent is $1,064 a month in Louisiana and $1,007 in Alabama, and the median home is $216,500 against $209,900. State income tax is a flat 3.00% in Louisiana and up to 5.00% in Alabama. Property tax runs 0.55% of home value in Louisiana and 0.38% in Alabama.
Moving to Louisiana costs about
$180/mo
less than Alabama each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Louisiana costs less overall, even though housing costs more
Housing runs about $57 a month more in Louisiana, yet the move still works out roughly $180 a month cheaper once taxes and everyday costs are counted. The house is the expensive part; everything else is not.
Alabama vs Louisiana at a glance
| Alabama | Louisiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $209,900 | $216,500 |
| Median rent | $1,007/mo | $1,064/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.00% | Flat 3.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.38% | 0.55% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 94 |
| Utilities | 85 | 71 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Alabama vs Louisiana
| Monthly | AL | LA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,007 | $1,064 | +$57 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $311 | $168 | -$143 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $7 | None | -$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $58 | $70 | +$12 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,767 | $1,718 | -$49 |
| Utilities | $346 | $292 | -$54 |
| Total | -$184 | ||
Cost to move from Alabama to Louisiana
$1,600 to $3,700
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $400 to $650, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Birmingham is not Alabama-average and New Orleans is not Louisiana-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Louisiana, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.