United States · Louisiana

Louisiana mortgage calculator

Estimate your monthly payment in Louisiana — principal & interest, property tax, and insurance — using the live national average rate and Louisiana's estimated ~0.56% effective property tax rate. Adjust any figure below.

Data researched & maintained by Robinjit Singh · Last verified June 2026

Affording a home in Louisiana

Stretched

Income gap

+$3,000

$3,000 more yearly income than the typical household here earns is what a median home asks — the reason many buyers combine two incomes, buy smaller, or put more down.

Median home price

$195,000

The statewide middle — half of homes cost less, half more.

Income needed

$56,000

To qualify at the standard 28% rule with 20% down.

Typical household income

$53,000

What the median household here actually earns.

A median Louisiana home costs $195k and needs $3k more annual income than the typical household earns.

Median is a statewide figure — expensive cities and more affordable rural areas vary widely.

Source: Zillow ZHVI · U.S. Census ACS · Splitero · Verified 2026-06-30

A single median income can qualify in Louisiana — here's what that looks like

The typical Louisiana household earns $53,000/year. To buy a median-priced home here, lenders generally want to see $56,000/year — which a single median income can cover. Louisiana is one of the more accessible markets in the country right now.

The roles and income paths that commonly reach it in Louisiana are listed below — some single high-earning roles, some two incomes combined.

Roles and income paths that commonly meet the income in Louisiana

Nurse
Teacher
Oil & gas worker
Government worker

Pay varies widely by employer, experience, and city — these are paths that often (not always) reach the income needed, not a guarantee for any individual. Entries like “+ partner income” mean two incomes combined.

First-time buyer programs available in Louisiana

Louisiana Housing Finance Agency programs
Soft Second Mortgage program

Programs and their terms change — verify current availability and eligibility with the official state housing agency before relying on any of these.

What makes Louisiana legally different for homebuyers

Louisiana operates under civil law (derived from French and Spanish law), not common law like every other state. This affects mortgage documents, property rights, and foreclosure procedures in ways that are genuinely different from all other US states. Louisiana homeowners insurance is the second most expensive in the nation (~$6,000–$7,000/year) due to hurricane exposure.

If you buy here

Louisiana's civil law system means standard legal advice from other states may not apply. Use a Louisiana-licensed real estate attorney for any purchase. Also budget aggressively for homeowners insurance — the state's hurricane exposure makes it one of the most expensive in the country, and some insurers have exited the market.

Foreclosure: judicial, ~6 mo
Post-sale redemption: None
Anti-deficiency protection: No

General overview only — laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a real estate attorney for advice specific to your purchase. (Verified 2026-06-30.)

A clean, printable one-page summary — free, no account needed.

Loan details

Understanding your numbers before you sign.

A mortgage is likely the largest financial commitment of your life. The Mortgage Ledger was built so you can explore what that commitment actually looks like — payment by payment, line by line — before you're sitting across from a lender.

Rates sourced from FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Estimates only — not a loan offer.

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Mortgage rate trend

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Down-payment scenarios for a median home in Louisiana

How much you put down changes the loan, the monthly payment, and the income a lender wants to see. Below is a median-priced $195,000 home in Louisianaat a 6.65% benchmark rate over 30 years — the same assumptions behind the income figures above.

Down payment	Loan	Monthly P&I	Income to qualify	Mortgage insurance
5% · $9,750	$185,250	$1,189/mo	≈ $69,340	PMI ~$124/mo
10% · $19,500	$175,500	$1,127/mo	≈ $66,379	PMI ~$117/mo
20% · $39,000	$156,000	$1,001/mo	$56,000	None

At 20% down the income to qualify is the $56,000 shown above; putting less down means a bigger loan, a higher payment, and PMI (estimated at ~0.8% of the loan per year until you reach 20% equity — the actual rate varies by credit).

What a median home actually costs each month (20% down)

$1,001principal & interest + $91 property tax + $475 insurance = $1,567/mo. Property tax and insurance are added on top of the mortgage, never blended into the rate. Insurance is Louisiana's average annual premium ($5,700/yr, at a benchmark $300k dwelling) — your quote will vary.

The bigger picture: a median home in Louisiana costs about 3.7×the typical household's yearly income — below the national ratio of about 4.8×.

Go deeper: run your own numbers in the affordability calculator, download the full dataset or read the methodology. Compare with neighbouring Mississippi and Arkansas.

How much do you need to earn to buy a home in Louisiana?

In Louisiana, you need to earn about $56,000 a year to afford a median-priced home of $195,000 — $3,000 more than the $53,000 a typical household earns. A single median income can still stretch to it, depending on your debts and down payment.

How much do you need to earn to buy a house in Louisiana?

To afford a median-priced home in Louisiana (about $195,000), a buyer needs roughly $56,000 per year, compared with the $53,000 a median Louisiana household earns. Source: The Mortgage Ledger, 2026.

What is the average home price in Louisiana?

The median home price in Louisiana is about $195,000 as of June 2026, per The Mortgage Ledger.

What are property taxes in Louisiana?

Louisiana has an effective property tax rate of about 0.56%, or roughly $1,092 per year on a median-priced home. Source: The Mortgage Ledger, 2026.

Do you need two incomes to buy a home in Louisiana?

Not necessarily — a single median household income of $53,000 is close to the $56,000 needed for a median-priced home, though it depends on your debts and down payment.

Source: The Mortgage Ledger · Figures are statewide medians and benchmark estimates · Data verified June 2026.