State comparison
Colorado vs Louisiana: which state is better to live in?
Louisiana costs a median household about $2,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,140 a year against $2,616 in Colorado.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 8 categories
Louisiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Louisiana
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Louisiana has a graduated income tax topping out at 3%, which works out to 3.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,237 a year. Louisiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.53% in Louisiana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $1,140, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 9.56% in Louisiana; Colorado is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $5,516 in Louisiana. Louisiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Louisiana's is 91, where 100 is the national average; Louisiana is about 21% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $215K in Louisiana (Zillow, 2024), a $330K gap in Louisiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,100 in Louisiana.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $3,000 in Louisiana, so Colorado is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 587 in Louisiana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Colorado is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 30% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,426 in Louisiana, again favoring Louisiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 73 in Louisiana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.8-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Louisiana's 45th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 8.5% in Louisiana, which favors Colorado. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Louisiana's 47th, 38 places apart in Colorado's favor. Louisiana runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Louisiana went to Trump by 20 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Louisiana has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Louisiana is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Colorado and banned with narrow exceptions in Louisiana, and marijuana is legal for adults in Colorado and medical only in Louisiana as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in Louisiana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and very high in Louisiana (hurricane, flood, tornado), so Colorado is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 36 in Louisiana (under 50 is good), favoring Louisiana.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
8
Colorado
7
Louisiana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Louisiana better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Louisiana on taxes ($5,516 a year for a median household against $7,634); Louisiana on everyday costs (index 91 against 110); Colorado on safety (453 violent crimes per 100,000 against 587); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 47th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Louisiana?
Louisiana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $215K in Louisiana (2024). On state and local taxes Louisiana saves a median household about $2,100 a year.
Does Colorado or Louisiana have lower taxes?
Louisiana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax) and $5,516 in Louisiana ($2,237 income tax, $1,140 property tax on the median home and $2,139 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Louisiana?
Colorado, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 587 in Louisiana; property crime is 2,859 against 2,426.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Louisiana?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Louisiana 47th. Louisiana also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or Louisiana better for retirees?
Louisiana is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Louisiana does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $1,140 in Louisiana.