The 18 most affordable cities in Louisiana to buy a house

Homeownership is fundamental to the American dream. It offers wealth, security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Louisiana residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as incomes rise and mortgage rates fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers stuck and younger generations priced out.

But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.

To find out where these cities are, Redfin Real Estate ranked the most affordable cities in Louisiana, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.

#1. Youngsville, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 20.6%
- Median sale price: $303,861
- Median household income: $113,164
- Income needed to buy: $77,595
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,940
- See homes for sale in Youngsville on Redfin.com

#2. Shenandoah, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 22.6%
- Median sale price: $317,273
- Median household income: $107,544
- Income needed to buy: $81,020
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,025
- See homes for sale in Shenandoah on Redfin.com

#3. Moss Bluff, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 22.8%
- Median sale price: $256,275
- Median household income: $85,984
- Income needed to buy: $65,443
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,636
- See homes for sale in Moss Bluff on Redfin.com

#4. Woodmere, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 22.9%
- Median sale price: $219,738
- Median household income: $73,615
- Income needed to buy: $56,113
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,403
- See homes for sale in Woodmere on Redfin.com

#5. Prairieville, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 23.1%
- Median sale price: $348,731
- Median household income: $115,610
- Income needed to buy: $89,053
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,226
- See homes for sale in Prairieville on Redfin.com

#6. Laplace, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 23.4%
- Median sale price: $207,632
- Median household income: $68,028
- Income needed to buy: $53,021
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,326
- See homes for sale in Laplace on Redfin.com

#7. Zachary, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 23.6%
- Median sale price: $278,760
- Median household income: $90,507
- Income needed to buy: $71,185
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,780
- See homes for sale in Zachary on Redfin.com

#8. Central, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 24.9%
- Median sale price: $293,304
- Median household income: $90,091
- Income needed to buy: $74,899
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,872
- See homes for sale in Central on Redfin.com

#9. Claiborne, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 25.6%
- Median sale price: $231,491
- Median household income: $69,173
- Income needed to buy: $59,114
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,478
- See homes for sale in Claiborne on Redfin.com

#10. Destrehan, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 25.8%
- Median sale price: $337,546
- Median household income: $100,189
- Income needed to buy: $86,197
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,155
- See homes for sale in Destrehan on Redfin.com

#11. Luling, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 28.0%
- Median sale price: $300,235
- Median household income: $82,273
- Income needed to buy: $76,669
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,917
- See homes for sale in Luling on Redfin.com

#12. Kenner, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 30.4%
- Median sale price: $254,683
- Median household income: $64,099
- Income needed to buy: $65,037
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,626
- See homes for sale in Kenner on Redfin.com

#13. Belle Chasse, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 30.6%
- Median sale price: $385,167
- Median household income: $96,381
- Income needed to buy: $98,357
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,459
- See homes for sale in Belle Chasse on Redfin.com

#14. Gonzales, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 30.9%
- Median sale price: $266,509
- Median household income: $66,152
- Income needed to buy: $68,056
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,701
- See homes for sale in Gonzales on Redfin.com

#15. River Ridge, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 33.1%
- Median sale price: $364,806
- Median household income: $84,464
- Income needed to buy: $93,158
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,329
- See homes for sale in River Ridge on Redfin.com

#16. Metairie, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 34.7%
- Median sale price: $331,351
- Median household income: $73,256
- Income needed to buy: $84,615
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,115
- See homes for sale in Metairie on Redfin.com

#17. Covington, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 35.0%
- Median sale price: $337,210
- Median household income: $73,809
- Income needed to buy: $86,111
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,153
- See homes for sale in Covington on Redfin.com

#18. Mandeville, Louisiana
- Payment to income ratio: 39.5%
- Median sale price: $459,186
- Median household income: $89,122
- Income needed to buy: $117,259
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,931
- See homes for sale in Mandeville on Redfin.com