Moving to Louisiana from South Carolina
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Carolina to Louisiana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Carolina to Louisiana, you would find that Louisiana is 8.0% cheaper than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $67,353 in Louisiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Baton Rouge averages 79°F vs 66°F in Columbia, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from South Carolina to Louisiana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,353
To maintain the same standard of living in Louisiana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.0% less
Groceries
pay 9.4% less
Transportation
pay 4.4% less
Housing
pay 13.3% less
Childcare
pay 19.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.4% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How South Carolina and Louisiana stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
South Carolina performs better than Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Louisiana leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Louisiana generally does better on what about housing?, though South Carolina leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
South Carolina performs better than Louisiana across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
South Carolina generally does better on employment & economy, though Louisiana leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
South Carolina performs better than Louisiana across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Columbia | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 67°/45°F (19°/7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 85°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) | 91°/72°F (33°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) | 72°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbia | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) | 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.9°C) |
| Mar | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) | 73°/50°F (22.6°/10.2°C) |
| Apr | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) | 79°/57°F (26.3°/13.8°C) |
| May | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.4°C) |
| Jun | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) | 91°/71°F (32.7°/21.9°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) | 92°/74°F (33.4°/23.2°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) | 92°/73°F (33.6°/23.0°C) |
| Sep | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) | 89°/69°F (31.5°/20.3°C) |
| Oct | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) |
| Nov | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Dec | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) | 64°/43°F (17.8°/5.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Louisiana than South Carolina?
Generally yes: Louisiana runs about 10% cheaper than South Carolina on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Louisiana?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,838 in Louisiana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Louisiana safe?
South Carolina performs better than Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Louisiana compared to South Carolina?
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Louisiana leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Louisiana compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Baton Rouge is 79°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Baton Rouge receives around 60.6 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.
