Living in West Lafayette, IN
College town in Indiana
West Lafayette is a college town in Indiana, home to about 45,000 people, with 202,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is West Lafayette a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Safe: violent crime is 0.2× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $320k and rents for $1,490 a month
- Mild summers: highs around 83°F
- Low natural disaster risk: 5 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Cloudier than most places
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how West Lafayette ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in West Lafayette: common questions
What is the cost of living in West Lafayette?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $320k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,490 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 93, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in West Lafayette?
Indiana collects about $1,275 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.86% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is West Lafayette safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in West Lafayette?
West Lafayette has cold winters: winter days average around 37°F and summer days around 83°F, with roughly 19″ of snow a year.
Does West Lafayette get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.89 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to West Lafayette?
The nearest major airport is IND, about 60 mi away.
How West Lafayette scores
Each bar compares West 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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Is West Lafayette right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.