Cost of living in Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette, Louisiana has about 121,715 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $257,000.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Lafayette Parish is $1,092 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Lafayette. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Lafayette, LA metro area, prices sit at 87.2 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Louisiana taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 10.1% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Lafayette's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Louisiana home paid 12.72¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Lafayette's bill.

EIA does not publish a Louisiana gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) all-grades price was $3.954 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,897.92 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Louisiana shares this price.

Among 240 places we list in Louisiana with a rent figure, 72 have higher typical rent than Lafayette.