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