Photo: Falkonry at English Wikipedia · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Carencro costs more to live in than 54% of U.S. towns
It ranks #100 of 161 in Louisiana for affordability. Up 2.3% in a year, close to the Louisiana typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Lafayette, LA metro area ($61K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Lafayette metro earn ($61K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.5 years of metro income, and 59% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $220Ktypical home, 3% above the Louisiana typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $950a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 87prices across the Lafayette metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 59)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$61K, Lafayette-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 59%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Louisiana: 55%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Carencro
Building at 5 times the Louisiana pace
Builders were permitted 194 new homes in 2025: 17 per 1,000 residents, against 3.3 across Louisiana. That’s 2,676 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
A burst of building in 2021
Carencro permitted 738 new homes in 2021, against about 215 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 194. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Carencro’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Carencro is more affordable than 46% of U.S. towns, #100 of 161 in Louisiana. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Louisiana: up 4.6% in five years, against 1.2% statewide (Zillow).
Up 4.6% in five years
Faster than Louisiana (1.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Carencro | Louisiana |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $192,000 | $182,000 |
| 2018 | $194,000 | $184,000 |
| 2019 | $191,000 | $185,000 |
| 2020 | $198,000 | $195,000 |
| 2021 | $202,000 | $205,000 |
| 2022 | $217,000 | $216,000 |
| 2023 | $226,000 | $218,000 |
| 2024 | $218,000 | $212,000 |
| 2025 | $216,000 | $212,000 |
| 2026 | $219,000 | $211,000 |
| September 2026 | $220,000 | $214,000 |
A typical Carencro home worth $192K in October 2016 is worth about $220K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 13 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 3.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Carencro’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Carencro home, with $35K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $950 a month here, $280 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Carencro’s typical property tax (0.42% 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 $950
Renters already here pay a median of $944.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Lafayette, 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.
194 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 194 new homes in Carencro in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $54.8 million to build. That's 17 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Louisiana (3.3). Over the past 10 years, Carencro has permitted 2,676 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Carencro gained 1,746 residents while 1,053 new homes were permitted: about 1.7 new residents per new home, more than across Louisiana (0.9): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 91 | 91 | 0 | $24.6 million |
| 2025 | 194 | 194 | 0 | $54.8 million |
| 2024 | 164 | 164 | 0 | $32.8 million |
| 2023 | 118 | 118 | 0 | $36 million |
| 2022 | 168 | 168 | 0 | $36.2 million |
| 2021 | 738 | 738 | 0 | $100.6 million |
| 2020 | 708 | 708 | 0 | $59 million |
| 2019 | 186 | 186 | 0 | $24.8 million |
| 2018 | 144 | 144 | 0 | $16.5 million |
| 2017 | 138 | 138 | 0 | $15.9 million |
| 2016 | 118 | 118 | 0 | $13.2 million |
| 2015 | 136 | 136 | 0 | $16.8 million |
| 2014 | 54 | 54 | 0 | $8 million |
| 2013 | 40 | 40 | 0 | $6.6 million |
| 2012 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $9.8 million |
| 2011 | 72 | 72 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2010 | 77 | 77 | 0 | $9 million |
| 2009 | 85 | 85 | 0 | $7.9 million |
| 2008 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $3.4 million |
| 2007 | 56 | 56 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2006 | 101 | 101 | 0 | $12.4 million |
| 2005 | 107 | 107 | 0 | $8.6 million |
| 2004 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2003 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2002 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $552,000 |
| 2001 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $482,000 |
| 2000 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.1 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Louisiana norm
The median bill is $904 (Louisiana: $1,180), 0.42% 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 Carencro
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Lafayette, 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 | 87 | 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.
Carencro vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Carencro has the lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Carencro
Is Carencro expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Carencro costs more than 54% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #100 of 161 in Louisiana. The typical home costs 3.5 years of the median household income of the Lafayette, LA metro area ($61K).
How much does a house cost in Carencro?
About $220K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.3% in a year. The Louisiana typical home is $214K.
What salary do you need to live in Carencro?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $53,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,230 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $38,000.
How much is rent in Carencro?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $950 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $944 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Carencro?
The median bill is $904 a year, 0.42% of the median home value (Louisiana: $1,180, 0.55%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Carencro going up?
Yes: up 2.3% in the past year and 4.6% in five years, against 1.2% across Louisiana (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Carencro buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. 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.