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Overall Cost of Living

The ACCRA Cost of Living Index compares the cost of living in over 300 urban areas using cost comparisons for groceries, housing, healthcare, and utilities. ACCRA sets the average price level of all urban areas equal to 100. The Baton Rouge MSA has a cost of living index of 94, or 6% below the national average.

Housing Costs

The Baton Rouge region offers tremendous value in the housing market. Baton Rouge ranked 71st out of the 156 metropolitan areas included in the National Association of Realtors 2005 Median Sales Price of Existing Single-Family Homes Survey.

Source: National Association of Realtors

The median single-family home price in the Baton Rouge MSA in 2005 was $164,600. Baton Rouge's median single-family home price is nearly $60,000 and 29% less than the national median home value. It is also nearly $31,000 and 17% lower than the median value of the southern United States region.

Commuting

The average one-way commute time in Baton Rouge is 22 minutes, a trip 13% shorter than that taken by the average American city worker. Interstates 10 and 12, the two interstates that feed into the city, are highly traveled and connected by highways and four-lane roads that connect the downtown business area to surrounding parishes. Ninety-nine percent of the Baton Rouge workforce drives a personal vehicle to work. However, public transportation is available through the city center on Baton Rouge Capital Area Transit System busses, para-transit, ferry service, and river crossings in the region. Most routes run six days a week from approximately 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. with an adult fare of $1.75 per trip. Road closures due to snow, wind, and/or rain are very rare in the temperate climate.