Meraux, Louisiana Cost Of Living

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C+

Overall 4%

Goods & Services 7%

Housing 12%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Meraux	Louisiana	National
Cost of living	96	92	100
Goods & Services	107	98	100
Groceries	99	97	100
Health care	117	99	100
Housing	88	81	100
Transportation	97	96	100
Utilities	76	87	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Meraux is 5% higher than the Louisiana average
The cost of living in Meraux is 4% lower than the national average
Meraux housing is 12% lower than the national average
Louisiana general sales tax is 13% lower than the national average
Louisiana state income tax is 19% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$73,651	$6,138	$1,718	$2,210
Renters	$38,462	$3,205	$897	$1,154

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Meraux, LA, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Meraux have a median income of $73,651. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,718 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $38,462, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $897.

Louisiana Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Louisiana	4.45%	11.45%

Louisiana Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Louisiana	2%	6%

Goods & Services

Item	Meraux	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.00	$20.27	1.3%
Beauty Salon	$48.33	$40.39	19.6%
Toothpaste	$2.35	$2.36	0.3%
Shampoo	$1.04	$1.08	3.4%
Movie	$12.21	$10.99	11.1%
Bowling	$20.67	$15.49	33.4%

Groceries

Item	Meraux	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.85	$4.30	12.9%
Fried Chicken	$1.21	$1.40	13.8%
Milk	$2.30	$2.20	4.3%
Potatoes	$3.14	$3.22	2.4%
Pizza	$9.93	$10.74	7.6%
Beer	$9.15	$9.60	4.7%

Health Care

Item	Meraux	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$102.44	$109.73	6.6%
Doctor	$158.33	$118.34	33.8%
Dentist	$118.89	$100.94	17.8%
Ibuprofen	$11.13	$9.93	12.1%
Lipitor	$513.19	$469.53	9.3%

Housing

Item	Meraux	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$156,500.00	$184,700.00	15.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,804.22	$1,229.62	46.7%
Apartment Rent	$913.00	$949.00	3.8%

Transportation

Item	Meraux	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.45	$2.71	9.5%
Tire Balancing	$55.77	$51.86	7.5%

Utilities

Item	Meraux	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$100.21	$170.84	41.3%
Phone	$183.56	$187.18	1.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Pleasure Bend, LA	319	86	14.1%
Barataria, LA	1,008	87	12.6%
Bridge City, LA	6,663	89	11.5%
Poydras, LA	2,394	90	10.5%
Violet, LA	5,621	92	8.2%
Meraux, LA	6,787	96	3.7%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Aspen, CO	6,788	138	37.8%
Nyack, NY	6,788	149	49.1%
Portage Lakes, OH	6,785	91	8.9%
Hamilton, AL	6,784	78	21.6%
Dade City, FL	6,782	85	15.1%
Meraux, LA	6,787	96	3.7%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.