Beaumont vs Lafayette
The short version
- Lafayette is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Beaumont area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $166,400 in Beaumont and $257,000 in Lafayette.
- Households earn more in Lafayette ($61,915 vs $56,997 median).
- Lafayette is growing faster: +1.6% since 2020 vs -1.8%.
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Louisiana's top rate is 3%.
Side by side
| Beaumont, TX | Lafayette, LA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 112,967 | 123,311 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.8% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 1,375 | 2,195 |
| Median age | 35.3 | 36.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $56,997 | $61,915 |
| Median home value | $166,400 | $257,000 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,121 | $1,100 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.0 | 87.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 70.9 | 58.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,500 | $65,400 |
| Homeowners | 55% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | None | 3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 10.13% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.3 | 20.0 |
| Work from home | 5% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 21.2% | 18.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 43° | 62° / 44° |
| July high / low | 92° / 76° | 92° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 65 in | 63 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 95 | 91 |
| Nights below freezing | 9 | 11 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.7 | 95.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 41% | 64% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | +5.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.3% | +25.3% |
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: Beaumont: February to April and November. Lafayette: February to March and November.
Full monthly tables: Beaumont weather by month and Lafayette weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,500 in Beaumont and $65,400 in Lafayette. Moving from Beaumont to Lafayette, you would need about $72,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Beaumont and Lafayette
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Beaumont and Lafayette.
Which would you pick?
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