Louisiana · 133rd largest metro area

Buying a home in Lafayette, Louisiana

In Lafayette, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $257,000, Lafayette Parish's effective property tax rate is 0.57%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $5,878 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,100 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Lafayette home costs, fact by fact

About Lafayette

Lafayette lies in the Lafayette, LA metro area, and 53.1% of its homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Lafayette figures

Lafayette is priced above the Louisiana median: $257,000 against $231,800. Among the covered cities it falls between Baton Rouge ($234,700) and New Orleans ($315,700), with Metairie higher still at $327,500 and Shreveport lower at $178,900. Rent of $1,100 lands just above Baton Rouge's $1,067 and under Metairie's $1,175 and New Orleans' $1,251. Owners are 53.1% of households, close to Shreveport's 53.3% and higher than Baton Rouge's 47.8%.

The parish figures are gentle for a buyer pricing the tax line. Lafayette Parish taxes at 0.57% of a $242,900 parish median, so the usual annual bill is $1,380. That parish median sits below Lafayette's own $257,000.

HUD's yardstick for the Lafayette HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,092, just under the $1,100 city rent, while the larger home comes to $1,375. Because HUD publishes a benchmark rather than a market median, the closeness of those first figures is a coincidence of measurement, not proof that rents match.

Lenders recorded 2,637 loans in the parish in 2025, at a typical cost of $5,878, mostly between $4,233 and $8,416. Lafayette's 122,280 city residents belong to a metro of 419,704 that ranks 133rd.

Calculate for Louisiana

If you buy

Louisiana state transfer tax

Louisiana has no state transfer tax; counties and cities may charge one. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$231,800
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—
Who paysThe seller

Default price: the Louisiana median value of owner-occupied homes, $231,800 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: No state tax. The New Orleans tax is a flat amount that does not depend on price. Who pays: The City Code names the seller as taxpayer in a cash sale or sale with concurrent mortgage. Civil Code art. 2463 puts other sale expenses on the buyer, so read the purchase agreement. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, the tax on the mortgage, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Louisiana transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Louisiana state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Lafayette

How much is property tax in Lafayette?

Homeowners in Lafayette Parish pay a median $1,380 a year in property tax, 0.57% of the county median home value of $242,900 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Lafayette?

Home-purchase mortgages in Lafayette Parish carried median total loan costs of $5,878 in 2025; half of the 2,637 loans fell between $4,233 and $8,416 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Lafayette?

Louisiana has no state transfer tax; its Constitution bars any new state or local tax on the sale of real estate after November 30, 2011. New Orleans keeps an older documentary transaction tax of $300 on the sale of a single-family home under the City Code, paid by the seller.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Lafayette?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Lafayette ($257,000) equals 19.5 years of the median gross rent ($1,100 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Lafayette?

Across Louisiana, the main hazards for home insurance are flood, hurricane wind and hail, and the insurer of last resort is Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. A standard Louisiana homeowners policy does not cover flood; the NFIP covers up to $250,000 for a house and $100,000 for contents, and Louisiana Citizens runs the Coastal Plan and the FAIR Plan.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Louisiana rules that apply in Lafayette

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Sources

Louisiana · All states · Federal guides