Measured against area pay, Luling costs more to live in than 75% of U.S. towns
It ranks #148 of 161 in Louisiana for affordability. Up 3% in a year, 33% above the Louisiana typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area ($63K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the New Orleans metro earn ($63K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 4.4 years of metro income, and 63% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $284Ktypical home, 33% above the Louisiana typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,580a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the New Orleans metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 86)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$63K, New Orleans-area income
- 31%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 63%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Louisiana: 55%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Luling?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Luling’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Luling is more affordable than 25% of U.S. towns, #148 of 161 in Louisiana. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Louisiana: up 0.8% in five years, against 1.2% statewide (Zillow).
Up 0.8% in five years
About the same pace as Louisiana (1.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Luling | Louisiana |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $221,000 | $182,000 |
| 2018 | $227,000 | $184,000 |
| 2019 | $229,000 | $185,000 |
| 2020 | $249,000 | $195,000 |
| 2021 | $266,000 | $205,000 |
| 2022 | $288,000 | $216,000 |
| 2023 | $284,000 | $218,000 |
| 2024 | $272,000 | $212,000 |
| 2025 | $275,000 | $212,000 |
| 2026 | $277,000 | $211,000 |
| September 2026 | $284,000 | $214,000 |
A typical Luling home worth $223K in October 2016 is worth about $284K 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 18 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 31% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Luling’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $28K short of a typical Luling home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,580 a month here, $50 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Luling’s typical property tax (0.60% 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 $1,580
Renters already here pay a median of $1,625.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (New Orleans-Metairie, 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 $1,630 (Louisiana: $1,180), 0.60% 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 Luling
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the New Orleans-Metairie, 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 | 93 | 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.
Luling vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, Luling has the 5th-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
Questions about the cost of living in Luling
Is Luling expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Luling costs more than 75% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #148 of 161 in Louisiana. The typical home costs 4.4 years of the median household income of the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area ($63K).
How much does a house cost in Luling?
About $284K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.0% in a year. The Louisiana typical home is $214K.
What salary do you need to live in Luling?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $70,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,630 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $63,000.
How much is rent in Luling?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,580 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,625 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Luling?
The median bill is $1,630 a year, 0.60% of the median home value (Louisiana: $1,180, 0.55%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Luling going up?
Yes: up 3.0% in the past year and 0.8% in five years, against 1.2% across Louisiana (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Luling 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, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community 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.