Measured against area pay, Brownfields costs more to live in than 65% of U.S. towns
It ranks #126 of 161 in Louisiana for affordability. Home prices around Brownfields have risen about 43% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Baton Rouge, LA metro area ($70K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Baton Rouge metro earn ($70K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.0 years of metro income, and 31% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,100a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 91prices across the Baton Rouge metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 74)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$70K, Baton Rouge-area income
- 28%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 31%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Louisiana: 55%Census 2020–24
- 38%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Brownfields, in brief
Rent is easier on renters here
31% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 55% across Louisiana. A standard two-bedroom is 20% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Prices rose faster than Louisiana’s over five years
There’s no Zillow index for Brownfields, so the page uses the federal house price index for the ZIP code around it, which follows repeat sales of the same homes. It rose 43% over five years, against 22% across Louisiana. Price trend ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Brownfields, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Brownfields’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Brownfields is more affordable than 35% of U.S. towns, #126 of 161 in Louisiana. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 43% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Brownfields rose 43% over the past 5 years, faster than across Louisiana (22%). Last year prices rose 5.7%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Brownfields home at roughly $230,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $230K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Brownfields, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A year’s rent takes 28% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Brownfields’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Brownfields home, with $55K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month here, $220 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Brownfields’s typical property tax (0.58% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100
Renters already here pay a median of $1,651.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Baton Rouge, LA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs above the Louisiana norm
The median bill is $1,207 (Louisiana: $1,180), 0.58% of a home’s value a year, against 0.55% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Brownfields
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Baton Rouge, LA metro area, or Louisiana. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 91 | LA 88 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | LA 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 71 | LA 71 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 96 | LA 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Brownfields vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Brownfields. Central has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownfields | C+ | — | $207K | 0.58% | $1,100 |
| Central | C | — | $289K | 0.65% | $1,470 |
| Baker | B+ | $183K | $158K | 0.45% | $1,130 |
| Baton Rouge | C+ | $228K | $235K | 0.62% | $1,190 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Brownfields
Is Brownfields expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Brownfields costs more than 65% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #126 of 161 in Louisiana. The typical home costs 3.0 years of the median household income of the Baton Rouge, LA metro area ($70K).
How much is rent in Brownfields?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,100 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,651 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Brownfields?
The median bill is $1,207 a year, 0.58% of the median home value (Louisiana: $1,180, 0.55%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Brownfields buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.