Louisiana · New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area

Buying a home in Metairie, Louisiana

In Metairie, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $327,500, Jefferson Parish's effective property tax rate is 0.52%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $6,311 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,175 a month.

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

Metairie home costs, fact by fact

About Metairie

HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in the county is $1,480, and 62.1% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Metairie figures

Metairie shows the highest value among the Louisiana cities named on this page: $327,500. New Orleans follows at $315,700, then Lafayette at $257,000; Baton Rouge and Shreveport sit lower still, near $234,700 and $178,900. The state median is $231,800. Rent of $1,175 is below New Orleans' $1,251 but above Lafayette's $1,100. Ownership is where Metairie separates itself: 62.1% of households own, while New Orleans shows 51.2%.

Jefferson Parish taxes at 0.52% of a $251,400 parish median, a typical $1,312 a year. That parish value is under the city's $327,500, so a purchase at the city median would carry a larger base than the parish figure suggests.

HUD's yardstick covers the New Orleans-Metairie area: $1,480, with the larger home at $1,900. Both run above the city's $1,175 median rent. Use them as a reference point only, since HUD publishes a benchmark, not a market median.

Loan costs in 2025 were recorded across 2,317 loans, a typical $6,311, from $4,542 to $9,282 for most borrowers. The New Orleans-Metairie metro (59th, 966,230 residents) is far larger than Metairie's own 139,729.

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 Metairie

How much is property tax in Metairie?

Homeowners in Jefferson Parish pay a median $1,312 a year in property tax, 0.52% of the county median home value of $251,400 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Metairie?

Home-purchase mortgages in Jefferson Parish carried median total loan costs of $6,311 in 2025; half of the 2,317 loans fell between $4,542 and $9,282 (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 Metairie?

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 Metairie?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Metairie ($327,500) equals 23.2 years of the median gross rent ($1,175 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Metairie?

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 Metairie

Other large cities in Louisiana

Who licenses each trade in Louisiana · All covered cities

Sources

Louisiana · All states · Federal guides