Moving to Louisiana from Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Virginia to Louisiana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Virginia to Louisiana, you would find that Louisiana is 18.0% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $61,092 in Louisiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Baton Rouge averages 79°F vs 70°F in Richmond, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Virginia to Louisiana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,092
To maintain the same standard of living in Louisiana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 13.7% less
Groceries
pay 17.1% less
Transportation
pay 14.6% less
Housing
pay 15.9% less
Childcare
pay 39.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.1% less
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 Virginia 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
Virginia 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
Virginia performs better than Louisiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Louisiana performs significantly better than Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia generally does better on infrastructure, though Louisiana leads in average commute.
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
Virginia performs better than Louisiana across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Virginia 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 | Richmond | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 67°/45°F (19°/7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 85°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 91°/72°F (33°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 72°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.9°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 73°/50°F (22.6°/10.2°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 79°/57°F (26.3°/13.8°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.4°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 91°/71°F (32.7°/21.9°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 92°/74°F (33.4°/23.2°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 92°/73°F (33.6°/23.0°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 89°/69°F (31.5°/20.3°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 64°/43°F (17.8°/5.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Louisiana than Virginia?
Generally yes: Louisiana runs about 19% cheaper than Virginia 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 $15,273 in Louisiana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Louisiana safe?
Virginia performs better than Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Louisiana compared to Virginia?
Virginia performs better than Louisiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Louisiana compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Baton Rouge is 79°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Baton Rouge receives around 60.6 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
