Rent vs buy in Shreveport, LA

In Shreveport, Louisiana, typical rent is $1,149 /mo and a typical home is $145,457.

Buy

Over 7 years, buying is $21k ahead

Using 20% down and today's mortgage rate for Shreveport's typical rent and home value. Year 4 marks the break-even point.

Clearly labeled opinion with the calculations shown. These figures are estimates, not quotes. The stamp updates whenever a number changes.

The homeowner's lead: $21k
Break-even point: Year 4
Actual cost of owning: $1,315 per month

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The stamp uses Shreveport's typical home value and rent. Your rent, price and years can change the result.

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Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Shreveport?

Over 7 years, buying costs $20,818 less once you include the money you get back when you sell. Owning's net cost falls below renting's in year 4 and remains lower.

The renting choice. The owning choice. Net cost so far for each year.

Shreveport: average rent compared with mortgage payment

Rent and mortgage payments don't tell the whole story. This breakdown lists every monthly cost for year 1 using Shreveport's typical price.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,149	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$793	$699 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$81	0.67% of the value a year
Insurance	$117	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$121	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$1,112	$94 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$236	At 8.3% a year, that's what the cash could earn.
Buying costs, spread out	$61	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$1,315	Cash paid out, minus the equity share, then plus the two items listed above

Numbers behind the Shreveport result

Zillow ZHVI, September 2026 shows the typical home value: $145,457
Zillow ZORI, September 2026 shows the typical rent: $1,149 per month
A 20% down payment avoids private mortgage insurance. The engine doesn't model that cost.: 20%
Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US) provides the mortgage rate: 7.24%
FHFA house price index, Louisiana, 1995 to 2025 shows home price growth: 3.6% each year
Rent growth: CPI data for primary residence rent, yearly growth 2006 to 2026: 3.5% each year
Return on savings: Savings mix: 60% S&P 500 including dividends; 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly from 1928 to 2025: 8.3% each year
Property tax: Census data: ACS 2020-2024, Shreveport: Value percentage: 0.67%
Home insurance: Census data: ACS 2020-2024, Shreveport: Monthly cost: $117
Maintenance: Fannie Mae: low end of the 1% to 4% range: 1% of the value yearly
Buying costs: Freddie Mac: middle of the 2% to 5% range: 3.5% of the purchase price
Selling costs: Agent commission and closing costs: 6% applies to the price

In Shreveport, what would flip the result?

Each line shows where Shreveport's 7-year verdict changes. Everything else remains as it is.

Renting wins if

Home prices rise at less than 1.6% yearly; the calculation applies Louisiana's long-run rate of 3.6%.
The mortgage rate remains above 9.76%.
For a home like this, rent is less than $930 a month; the typical figure here is $1,149.
Moving before year 4.

Buying wins if

Home prices grow each year at a rate above 1.6%.
You lock a mortgage rate under 9.76% (today's rate is 7.24%).
That same home would cost over $930 monthly to rent.
You remain for 4 years or longer.

Shreveport compared with the other 812 cities

Measure	Shreveport	Median city
Typical home value	$145,457	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,149 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	10.5 (#784 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	2% a year	6.2% a year
Rents, last 5 years	4.1% a year	4% a year
Property tax	0.67%	0.87%
Households that rent	47%	42%

Data comes from Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

Additional cities in Louisiana

Louisiana rent vs buy: the state's numbers