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Chicago, IL vs Baton Rouge, LA

Moving from Chicago to Baton Rouge? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $248,176 median home) and taxes.

Chicago vs Baton Rouge at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Chicago, IL Baton Rouge, LA Cost-of-living index Chicago, IL — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Baton Rouge, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Chicago, IL — Median home price: $354k $354k Baton Rouge, LA — Median home price: $248k $248k Price per sqft Chicago, IL — Price per sqft: $208 $208 Baton Rouge, LA — Price per sqft: $124 $124 Median rent Chicago, IL — Median rent: $2,266 $2,266 Baton Rouge, LA — Median rent: $1,393 $1,393 Combined sales tax Chicago, IL — Combined sales tax: 8.9% 8.9% Baton Rouge, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Chicago, IL — Property tax rate: 2.11% 2.11% Baton Rouge, LA — Property tax rate: 0.56% 0.56% Violent crime /100k Chicago, IL — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Baton Rouge, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Chicago, IL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 20.5 20.5 Baton Rouge, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Chicago, IL — Avg commute (min): 31 31 Baton Rouge, LA — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F Chicago, IL — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Baton Rouge, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Chicago, IL — Avg winter low °F: 15° 15° Baton Rouge, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Chicago, IL, you'd need about $89,020 in Baton Rouge, LA (−$10,980).

Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · Baton Rouge, LA: 69 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 4,029 sqft in Baton Rouge ($208 vs $124 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryChicago, ILBaton Rouge, LADifference
Housing $27,192 $16,716 −$10,476
Groceries $5,215 $4,650 −$565
Transportation $3,550 $4,475 +$925
Utilities $2,208 $1,560 −$648
Insurance $1,900 $3,500 +$1,600
Taxes $14,141 $8,854 −$5,287
Total $54,206 $39,755 −$14,451

Side by side

MetricChicago, ILBaton Rouge, LA
Cost-of-living index102.591.2
Unemployment rate6.19%6.51%
Population growth (5-yr)0.2%5.0%
Air quality (median AQI)5653
Big Mac price (est.)$5.83$5.19
Median home price$353,998$248,176
Home price ÷ income4.2×3.7×
1-yr home appreciation4.4%1.5%
Price per square foot$208$124
Median rent$2,266$1,393
Total tax burden (% income)12.9%9.1%
Combined sales tax8.86%9.56%
Capital gains tax4.95%4.25%
Property tax rate2.11%0.56%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$14,000$8,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.10%
Avg commute (min)3127
Home insurance / yr$1,900$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$700$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$300$100
Electricity ¢/kWh20.514.4
Gas $/gal3.602.95
Violent crime /100k430630
Avg summer high °F8592
Avg winter low °F1543
Permit difficulty (1–5)42
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