Cincinnati, OH vs Lafayette, LA
Moving from Cincinnati to Lafayette? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($311,270 → $202,312 median home) and taxes.
Cincinnati vs Lafayette at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Cincinnati, OH, you'd need about $92,920 in Lafayette, LA (−$7,080).
Livability — Cincinnati, OH: 70 · Lafayette, LA: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati vs 4,941 sqft in Lafayette ($189 vs $101 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cincinnati, OH | Lafayette, LA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,900 | $16,452 | −$2,448 |
| Groceries | $4,718 | $4,650 | −$68 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $4,475 | +$1,450 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,560 | −$540 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $3,500 | +$2,200 |
| Taxes | $8,820 | $8,509 | −$311 |
| Total | $38,863 | $39,146 | +$283 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cincinnati, OH | Lafayette, LA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.2 | 87.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.37% | 5.97% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.5% | -1.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.36 | $4.98 |
| Median home price | $311,270 | $202,312 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 3.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $189 | $101 |
| Median rent | $1,575 | $1,371 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 9.56% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $8,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $3,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $1,000 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 630 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 43 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |