State comparison
Georgia vs Louisiana: which state is better to live in?
Louisiana costs a median household about $2,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Georgia, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,140 a year against $2,754 in Georgia.
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 6 categories
Louisiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs Louisiana
Georgia has a flat 5.49% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,722 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 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 0.53% in Louisiana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $1,140, so Louisiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia and 9.56% in Louisiana; Georgia is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,120 a year in Georgia, $5,516 in Louisiana. Louisiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and Louisiana's is 91, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $215K in Louisiana (Zillow, 2024), a $125K gap in Louisiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $1,100 in Louisiana.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $3,000 in Louisiana, so Georgia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 587 in Louisiana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Georgia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 18% lower. Property crime is 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 2,426 in Louisiana, again favoring Georgia.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 73 in Louisiana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.2-year edge for Georgia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and Louisiana's 45th, so Georgia scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 8.5% in Louisiana, which favors Louisiana. Louisiana expanded Medicaid and Georgia did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia's K-12 schools 32nd in the country and Louisiana's 47th, 15 places apart in Georgia's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Georgia was a swing state decided by 2 points and Louisiana went to Trump by 20 points.
Georgia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Louisiana has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $7.25 in Louisiana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and very high in Louisiana (hurricane, flood, tornado), so Georgia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 36 in Louisiana (under 50 is good).
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
6
Georgia
7
Louisiana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia or Louisiana better to live in?
Georgia wins more of the measures that decide a move. Louisiana on taxes ($5,516 a year for a median household against $8,120); Georgia on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 587); Georgia on schools (ranked 32nd against 47th).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or Louisiana?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 91. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $215K in Louisiana (2024). On state and local taxes Louisiana saves a median household about $2,600 a year.
Does Georgia or Louisiana have lower taxes?
Louisiana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,120 a year in Georgia ($3,722 income tax, $2,754 property tax on the median home and $1,644 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, Georgia or Louisiana?
Georgia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 587 in Louisiana; property crime is 2,212 against 2,426.
Which has better schools, Georgia or Louisiana?
Georgia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and Louisiana 47th.
Is Georgia or Louisiana better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Georgia does not tax 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 $2,754 a year in Georgia and $1,140 in Louisiana.