Moving from Missouri to Louisiana
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Missouri and Louisiana, side by side.
Moving to Louisiana costs about
-$120/mo
less than Missouri each month, renting
Worth knowing
Louisiana costs less overall, even though housing costs more
Housing runs about $31 a month more in Louisiana, yet the move still works out roughly $120 a month cheaper once taxes and everyday costs are counted. The house is the expensive part; everything else is not.
Missouri vs Louisiana at a glance
| Missouri | Louisiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $230,300 | $216,500 |
| Median rent | $1,033/mo | $1,064/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 4.70% | Flat 3.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.55% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 94 |
| Utilities | 79 | 71 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | MO | LA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,033 | $1,064 | +$31 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $235 | $168 | -$67 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $15 | None | -$15 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $60 | $70 | +$10 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,765 | $1,718 | -$48 |
| Utilities | $324 | $292 | -$32 |
| Total | -$120 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,800 to $4,200
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $450 to $650, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. St. Louis is not Missouri-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
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.