Living in Lafayette, LA
College town in Louisiana
Lafayette is a college town in Louisiana, home to about 122,000 people, with 319,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Lafayette a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $226k and rents for $1,300 a month
- Low taxes: about $1,029 state income tax per resident, 0.58% property tax
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Smaller job market: about 319,000 people live within 31 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Lafayette ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Lafayette: common questions
What is the cost of living in Lafayette?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $226k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,300 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 87, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Lafayette?
Louisiana collects about $1,029 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.58% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Lafayette safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.4× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Lafayette?
Lafayette has mild winters: winter days average around 64°F and summer days around 91°F.
Does Lafayette get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is high, mainly from hurricanes and flooding: 17 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.04 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Lafayette?
The nearest major airport is MSY, about 106 mi away.
How Lafayette scores
Each bar compares Lafayette with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Lafayette right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.