Photo: Smh2536 at English Wikipedia · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Pineville costs more to live in than 57% of U.S. towns
It ranks #108 of 161 in Louisiana for affordability. Up 4.6% in a year, 7% below the Louisiana typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Alexandria, LA metro area ($56K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Alexandria metro earn ($56K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.6 years of metro income, and 63% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $198Ktypical home, 7% below the Louisiana typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $970a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 86prices across the Alexandria metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 54)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$56K, Alexandria-area income
- 19%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
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Pineville
What’s behind Pineville’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pineville is more affordable than 43% of U.S. towns, #108 of 161 in Louisiana. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Louisiana: the typical Pineville home is up 10.1% in five years, against 1.2% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.1% in five years
Faster than Louisiana (1.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Pineville | Louisiana |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $159,000 | $182,000 |
| 2018 | $165,000 | $184,000 |
| 2019 | $168,000 | $185,000 |
| 2020 | $170,000 | $195,000 |
| 2021 | $181,000 | $205,000 |
| 2022 | $183,000 | $216,000 |
| 2023 | $193,000 | $218,000 |
| 2024 | $190,000 | $212,000 |
| 2025 | $196,000 | $212,000 |
| 2026 | $193,000 | $211,000 |
| September 2026 | $198,000 | $214,000 |
A typical Pineville home worth $162K in October 2016 is worth about $198K 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 16 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 3.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pineville’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Pineville home, with $37K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $130 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pineville’s typical property tax (0.36% 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 $970
Renters already here pay a median of $910.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Alexandria, LA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
34 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 34 new homes in Pineville in 2025: 10 single-family houses and 24 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $5.5 million to build. That's 2.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Louisiana (3.3). Over the past 10 years, Pineville has permitted 483 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pineville's population fell by 171 even though 456 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Louisiana: 0.9 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 19 | 7 | 12 | $3.5 million |
| 2025 | 34 | 10 | 24 | $5.5 million |
| 2024 | 30 | 8 | 22 | $4.5 million |
| 2023 | 24 | 6 | 18 | $3.6 million |
| 2022 | 49 | 9 | 40 | $6 million |
| 2021 | 32 | 16 | 16 | $5.4 million |
| 2020 | 45 | 19 | 26 | $5.2 million |
| 2019 | 108 | 80 | 28 | $19.5 million |
| 2018 | 49 | 33 | 16 | $6.4 million |
| 2017 | 22 | 12 | 10 | $3.4 million |
| 2016 | 90 | 28 | 62 | $9.3 million |
| 2015 | 49 | 1 | 48 | $4.5 million |
| 2014 | 40 | 38 | 2 | $6 million |
| 2013 | 34 | 18 | 16 | $3.8 million |
| 2012 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2011 | 22 | 18 | 4 | $2.7 million |
| 2010 | 33 | 29 | 4 | $4.4 million |
| 2009 | 34 | 30 | 4 | $4.1 million |
| 2008 | 69 | 69 | 0 | $6.8 million |
| 2007 | 118 | 118 | 0 | $11.6 million |
| 2006 | 178 | 178 | 0 | $17.5 million |
| 2005 | 193 | 191 | 2 | $18.8 million |
| 2004 | 221 | 219 | 2 | $21.7 million |
| 2003 | 32 | 32 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2002 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2001 | 106 | 25 | 81 | $5.8 million |
| 2000 | 86 | 25 | 61 | $5 million |
Pineville's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
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 $732 (Louisiana: $1,180), 0.36% 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 Pineville
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Alexandria, 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 | 86 | 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.
Pineville vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Pineville has the 3rd-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pineville | C+ | $198K | $202K | 0.36% | $970 |
| Alexandria | C+ | $144K | $184K | 0.49% | $1,020 |
| Ball | B | $173K | $176K | 0.52% | $1,050 |
Questions about the cost of living in Pineville
Is Pineville expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pineville costs more than 57% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #108 of 161 in Louisiana. The typical home costs 3.6 years of the median household income of the Alexandria, LA metro area ($56K).
How much does a house cost in Pineville?
About $198K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.6% in a year. The Louisiana typical home is $214K.
What salary do you need to live in Pineville?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $47,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,100 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $39,000.
How much is rent in Pineville?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $910 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pineville?
The median bill is $732 a year, 0.36% of the median home value (Louisiana: $1,180, 0.55%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pineville going up?
Yes: up 4.6% in the past year and 10.1% in five years, against 1.2% across Louisiana (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pineville 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.