State comparison
Louisiana vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
Louisiana costs a median household about $1,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Texas, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,140 a year against $5,440 in Texas.
Louisiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 8 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Louisiana vs Texas
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. Texas has no state income tax. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Louisiana and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,140 against $5,440, so Louisiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.56% in Louisiana and 8.19% in Texas; Texas 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, $7,272 in Texas. Louisiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Louisiana's cost of living index is 91 and Texas's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Louisiana is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Louisiana and $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024), a $125K gap in Louisiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Louisiana and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $3,000 a year in Louisiana and $3,200 in Texas, so Louisiana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 587 incidents per 100,000 residents in Louisiana and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Texas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 31% lower. Property crime is 2,426 per 100,000 in Louisiana against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring Louisiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 73 years in Louisiana and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for Texas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Louisiana's health system 45th of 50 and Texas's 36th, so Texas scores better on care.
8.5% of Louisiana residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors Louisiana. Louisiana expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Louisiana's K-12 schools 47th in the country and Texas's 36th, 11 places apart in Texas'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 Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
Louisiana has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Texas 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 Louisiana and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Louisiana (hurricane, flood, tornado) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 36 in Louisiana and 43 in Texas (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
Louisiana
7
Texas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Louisiana or Texas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Louisiana on taxes ($5,516 a year for a median household against $7,272); Louisiana on everyday costs (index 91 against 97); Texas on safety (447 violent crimes per 100,000 against 587); Texas on schools (ranked 36th against 47th).
Which is cheaper, Louisiana or Texas?
Louisiana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 97. The median home is $215K in Louisiana and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes Louisiana saves a median household about $1,800 a year.
Does Louisiana or Texas 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 $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Louisiana or Texas?
Texas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 587 per 100,000 residents in Louisiana and 447 in Texas; property crime is 2,426 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, Louisiana or Texas?
Texas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Louisiana 47th of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th.
Is Louisiana or Texas better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Louisiana does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Texas does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,140 a year in Louisiana and $5,440 in Texas.