State comparison
Louisiana vs Nebraska: which state is better to live in?
Louisiana costs a median household about $2,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Nebraska, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,140 a year against $3,816 in Nebraska.
Louisiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 6 categories
Nebraska
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Louisiana vs Nebraska
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. Nebraska has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.99%, which works out to 4.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,093 a year. Louisiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Louisiana and 1.44% in Nebraska (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,140 against $3,816, so Louisiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.56% in Louisiana and 6.94% in Nebraska; Nebraska 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, $8,461 in Nebraska. Louisiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Louisiana's cost of living index is 91 and Nebraska's is 91, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $215K in Louisiana and $265K in Nebraska (Zillow, 2024), a $50K gap in Louisiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Louisiana and $1,150 in Nebraska.
Home insurance averages $3,000 a year in Louisiana and $2,200 in Nebraska, so Nebraska is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 587 incidents per 100,000 residents in Louisiana and 311 in Nebraska (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nebraska is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 89% lower. Property crime is 2,426 per 100,000 in Louisiana against 1,956 in Nebraska, again favoring Nebraska.
Health
Life expectancy is 73 years in Louisiana and 78.6 in Nebraska (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.6-year edge for Nebraska. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Louisiana's health system 45th of 50 and Nebraska's 26th, so Nebraska scores better on care.
8.5% of Louisiana residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Nebraska, which favors Nebraska. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Louisiana's K-12 schools 47th in the country and Nebraska's 18th, 29 places apart in Nebraska's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Louisiana went to Trump by 20 points and Nebraska went to Trump by 19 points.
Louisiana has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nebraska has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Louisiana and legal with limits in Nebraska, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Louisiana and $12.00 in Nebraska.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Louisiana (hurricane, flood, tornado) and high in Nebraska (tornado, blizzard, flood), so Nebraska is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Louisiana and 33 in Nebraska (under 50 is good), favoring Nebraska.
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
Louisiana
7
Nebraska
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Louisiana or Nebraska better to live in?
Nebraska wins more of the measures that decide a move. Louisiana on taxes ($5,516 a year for a median household against $8,461); Nebraska on safety (311 violent crimes per 100,000 against 587); Nebraska on schools (ranked 18th against 47th).
Which is cheaper, Louisiana or Nebraska?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 91. The median home is $215K in Louisiana and $265K in Nebraska (2024). On state and local taxes Louisiana saves a median household about $2,900 a year.
Does Louisiana or Nebraska 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 $8,461 in Nebraska ($3,093 income tax, $3,816 property tax on the median home and $1,553 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Louisiana or Nebraska?
Nebraska, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 587 per 100,000 residents in Louisiana and 311 in Nebraska; property crime is 2,426 against 1,956.
Which has better schools, Louisiana or Nebraska?
Nebraska. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Louisiana 47th of 50 for K-12 and Nebraska 18th.
Is Louisiana or Nebraska 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; Nebraska does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,140 a year in Louisiana and $3,816 in Nebraska.