Moving from Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma and Louisiana, side by side.
Moving to Louisiana costs about
About the same
Oklahoma and Louisiana work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
State income tax is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Oklahoma to Louisiana, state income tax moves the most: about $87 a month less, which is most of the whole difference.
Oklahoma vs Louisiana at a glance
| Oklahoma | Louisiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $199,800 | $216,500 |
| Median rent | $1,014/mo | $1,064/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 4.50% | Flat 3.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 0.55% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 94 |
| Utilities | 74 | 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 | OK | LA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,014 | $1,064 | +$50 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $255 | $168 | -$87 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $63 | $70 | +$7 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,719 | $1,718 | -$1 |
| Utilities | $302 | $292 | -$10 |
| Total | -$40 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,700 to $4,000
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $400 to $600, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Oklahoma City is not Oklahoma-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.