SalaryCompareTool

Philadelphia, PA vs Baton Rouge, LA

Moving from Philadelphia to Baton Rouge? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,463 → $248,176 median home) and taxes.

Philadelphia vs Baton Rouge at a glance

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

Philadelphia, PA Baton Rouge, LA Cost-of-living index Philadelphia, PA — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Baton Rouge, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Philadelphia, PA — Median home price: $390k $390k Baton Rouge, LA — Median home price: $248k $248k Price per sqft Philadelphia, PA — Price per sqft: $223 $223 Baton Rouge, LA — Price per sqft: $124 $124 Median rent Philadelphia, PA — Median rent: $1,914 $1,914 Baton Rouge, LA — Median rent: $1,393 $1,393 Combined sales tax Philadelphia, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Baton Rouge, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Philadelphia, PA — Property tax rate: 1.61% 1.61% Baton Rouge, LA — Property tax rate: 0.56% 0.56% Violent crime /100k Philadelphia, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 Baton Rouge, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Philadelphia, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 Baton Rouge, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Philadelphia, PA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 Baton Rouge, LA — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Baton Rouge, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Baton Rouge, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Philadelphia, PA, you'd need about $89,127 in Baton Rouge, LA (−$10,873).

Livability — Philadelphia, PA: 62 · Baton Rouge, LA: 69 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia vs 4,029 sqft in Baton Rouge ($223 vs $124 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryPhiladelphia, PABaton Rouge, LADifference
Housing $22,968 $16,716 −$6,252
Groceries $4,909 $4,650 −$259
Transportation $3,440 $4,475 +$1,035
Utilities $2,316 $1,560 −$756
Insurance $1,200 $3,500 +$2,300
Taxes $10,192 $8,854 −$1,338
Total $45,025 $39,755 −$5,270

Side by side

MetricPhiladelphia, PABaton Rouge, LA
Cost-of-living index102.491.2
Unemployment rate6.12%6.51%
Population growth (5-yr)2.8%5.0%
Air quality (median AQI)5353
Big Mac price (est.)$5.82$5.19
Median home price$390,463$248,176
Home price ÷ income4.6×3.7×
1-yr home appreciation2.5%1.5%
Price per square foot$223$124
Median rent$1,914$1,393
Total tax burden (% income)10.6%9.1%
Combined sales tax6.34%9.56%
Capital gains tax3.07%4.25%
Property tax rate1.61%0.56%
Healthcare (annual)$7,000$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$8,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.10%
Avg commute (min)2927
Home insurance / yr$1,200$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$650$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh21.514.4
Gas $/gal3.552.95
Violent crime /100k390630
Avg summer high °F8592
Avg winter low °F2243
Permit difficulty (1–5)32

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