Baton Rouge vs Tallahassee
The short version
- Baton Rouge is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Tallahassee area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $234,700 in Baton Rouge and $294,400 in Tallahassee.
- Households earn more in Tallahassee ($57,409 vs $49,994 median).
- Tallahassee is growing faster: +4.4% since 2020 vs -1.7%.
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; Louisiana's top rate is 3%.
Side by side
| Baton Rouge, LA | Tallahassee, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 222,795 | 204,902 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.7% | +4.4% |
| People per square mile | 2,563 | 1,998 |
| Median age | 31.5 | 28.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $49,994 | $57,409 |
| Median home value | $234,700 | $294,400 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 5.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,067 | $1,293 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.8 | 93.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 74.2 | 78.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,100 | $70,400 |
| Homeowners | 48% | 41% |
| Top state income tax | 3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 10.13% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.0 | 19.1 |
| Work from home | 8% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 9.2% | 6.4% |
| Poverty rate | 25.7% | 23.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 62° / 42° | 64° / 41° |
| July high / low | 92° / 74° | 92° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 62 in | 59 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 96 | 103 |
| Nights below freezing | 18 | 27 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.0 | 93.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 36% | 51% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.4% | +42.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Baton Rouge: February to March and November. Tallahassee: February, April and October to December.
Full monthly tables: Baton Rouge weather by month and Tallahassee weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,100 in Baton Rouge and $70,400 in Tallahassee. Moving from Baton Rouge to Tallahassee, you would need about $77,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.