Baton Rouge Home Prices: $213K, Down 1.9% — 16 ZIPs Analyzed (2026)
$213,322. That is the typical home value in Baton Rouge as of February 2026, and it is down 1.9% from a year ago. The market has drifted lower for most of the past twelve months, but the last three prints show a small bounce.
Quick answer: The average home price in Baton Rouge, LA is $213,322 as of February 2026, down 1.9% year over year.
Current Home Prices in Baton Rouge
The Baton Rouge market is softening, not crashing. A 1.9% annual decline works out to roughly $4,100 off the typical home. Buyers who waited out 2025 paid less in February than they would have the prior spring.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $213,322 |
| Year-over-year change | -1.9% |
| Most expensive ZIP | $348,953 (70808) |
| Least expensive ZIP | $65,736 (70805) |
| Price range (max ÷ min) | 5.3x |
| ZIP codes tracked | 16 |
| Data through | February 2026 |
The spread between the cheapest and priciest ZIP is wider than in most mid-size Southern cities. A home in 70808 costs more than five homes in 70805. That gap tells you something real about Baton Rouge: it is not one market, it is several.
The median sits well below the national typical home value, which is closer to $360K. If you are relocating from Austin, Denver, or Raleigh, Baton Rouge looks cheap. If you are moving from Shreveport or Monroe, it does not.
Prices peaked at $217,471 in March 2025, bottomed at $211,268 in October 2025, and have edged up in each of the last four months. The direction of travel right now is slightly positive, even though the year-over-year number is still negative.
Baton Rouge Home Prices by Neighborhood
Sixteen ZIP codes make up the Baton Rouge housing data. The table below runs from most expensive to least, with typical rent where available.
| ZIP | Typical Home Value | Typical Rent |
|---|---|---|
| 70808 | $348,953 | $1,491 |
| 70810 | $327,579 | $1,449 |
| 70809 | $309,283 | $1,340 |
| 70817 | $299,716 | $1,699 |
| 70818 | $265,823 | $2,495 |
| 70806 | $243,545 | $1,238 |
| 70820 | $235,932 | $2,091 |
| 70816 | $235,487 | $1,076 |
| 70815 | $218,734 | $1,063 |
| 70814 | $207,326 | Data not available |
| 70819 | $180,742 | Data not available |
| 70811 | $153,899 | Data not available |
| 70812 | $129,354 | Data not available |
| 70807 | $110,498 | Data not available |
| 70802 | $80,547 | $1,143 |
| 70805 | $65,736 | $913 |
Most Expensive
70808 — $348,953. The priciest ZIP in the city, 64% above the Baton Rouge median, with rents around $1,491.
70810 — $327,579. Values run 54% over the citywide figure, though rent stays close to the median at $1,449.
70809 — $309,283. Home values sit 45% above the city median with rents around $1,340.
Most Affordable
70805 — $65,736. The cheapest ZIP by a wide margin, running at less than a third of the city median. Typical rent is $913, the lowest in the dataset.
70802 — $80,547. Prices are about 62% below the citywide figure. Rent averages $1,143, which is surprisingly high relative to home values and signals tight rental supply.
70807 — $110,498. Still roughly half the city median. Rent data is not yet available for this ZIP.
Rent vs Buy in Baton Rouge
The rent picture varies almost as much as the home-value picture. Typical rents run from $913 in 70805 to $2,495 in 70818. The citywide average across the eleven ZIPs with rent data is about $1,463 per month.
Here is the math on buying the median home. A $213,322 purchase with 20% down ($42,664) leaves a $170,658 mortgage. At a 6.5% thirty-year rate, principal and interest run around $1,079. Add roughly $270 for property tax and insurance and you are at about $1,350 per month before maintenance.
| Scenario | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Rent (city average) | ~$1,463 |
| Buy median home (20% down, 6.5% rate) | ~$1,350 P&I + taxes/ins |
| Buy in cheapest ZIP 70805 | ~$420 P&I + taxes/ins |
| Rent in cheapest ZIP 70805 | $913 |
On paper, buying the median home pencils out close to renting. In the lower-priced ZIPs, buying is dramatically cheaper if you qualify for financing — the challenge in places like 70805 is that $65,736 homes often need repairs that conventional loans will not cover.
In the pricier ZIPs, the math flips. Buying a $327,579 home in 70810 runs roughly $2,100 per month all-in, while rent sits at $1,449. Renters in high-end areas come out ahead on cash flow.
Population Growth and Migration
Baton Rouge is losing people, slowly. The city had 226,275 residents in 2020 and 220,907 in 2024 — a 2.4% drop. That is not a collapse, but it is not growth either.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 226,275 |
| 2021 | 224,115 |
| 2022 | 221,770 |
| 2023 | 220,773 |
| 2024 | 220,907 |
The 2023 to 2024 uptick is small but worth watching. If it sticks, it would mark the first year of population recovery since before the pandemic.
How does Baton Rouge compare to other Louisiana cities?
| City | 2024 Population | 4-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 362,701 | -5.4% |
| Baton Rouge | 220,907 | -2.4% |
| Lafayette | 122,280 | +0.7% |
| Lake Charles | 81,157 | -4.4% |
| Kenner | 64,650 | -2.5% |
| Bossier City | 63,218 | +0.8% |
Lafayette and Bossier City are the only two gaining residents. Most of the state, including Baton Rouge, is shedding population. That matters for housing because demand follows people. A shrinking city with falling prices is the expected pattern, and you are seeing it play out here.
Baton Rouge Housing Market Trends
The twelve-month trend shows prices grinding lower through most of 2025, then stabilizing.
| Month | Median Value |
|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | $217,471 |
| Apr 2025 | $216,774 |
| May 2025 | $216,451 |
| Jun 2025 | $215,726 |
| Jul 2025 | $214,561 |
| Aug 2025 | $212,880 |
| Sep 2025 | $211,669 |
| Oct 2025 | $211,268 |
| Nov 2025 | $211,354 |
| Dec 2025 | $211,693 |
| Jan 2026 | $212,292 |
| Feb 2026 | $213,322 |
Prices fell every month from March through October 2025. Then they found a floor. The last four prints are all higher than the one before. That is a modest but real turn.
The min and max values tell a similar story. The floor (the cheapest ZIP) has fallen from $78,084 to $65,736 — a 16% drop. The ceiling has barely moved, down about 0.2% from its March 2025 level. The pain has been concentrated in the lowest-priced areas.
Is Baton Rouge a Good Place to Buy in 2026?
This is a buyer’s market, but not a screaming one. Prices are down 1.9% year over year and the city has shed residents for four straight years. Sellers have little negotiating power.
That said, the recent four-month uptick suggests the bottom may be in. If you were waiting for the exact low, you probably already missed it by one or two months.
For budget-conscious buyers, the story is strong. Ten of the sixteen tracked ZIPs have typical values under the city median. Four are under $150K. If you can handle a property that may need work, the math works.
For buyers in the upper tier — 70808, 70810, 70809 — the decline has been milder and the rent-to-buy math favors renting. Unless you plan to stay seven-plus years, running the numbers carefully matters.
Baton Rouge Housing Market Outlook for 2026-2027
The 3-month trend suggests prices have stabilized. Values have risen by roughly $2,000 since October 2025. If the current pace continues, you would see modest gains — well under 2% annualized — through the rest of 2026.
The headwind is population. Baton Rouge has lost residents in four of the last five years. Housing demand cannot climb indefinitely in a shrinking city.
The tailwind is the rebound signal in the last four months of data. Combined with the small population uptick from 2023 to 2024, it hints at a possible floor.
Best case: flat to slightly up through mid-2026. Worst case: another leg down if the population trend reasserts. The middle case — a grinding, range-bound market between $210K and $220K — looks most consistent with the data on the table right now.
Similar Markets in LA
- Lafayette — the only nearby city showing population growth, a useful contrast if you want a city that is expanding rather than contracting.
- New Orleans — larger and losing residents faster, a different housing market shaped by tourism and coastal risk.
- Shreveport — another mid-size Louisiana city worth comparing for price levels.
- Lake Charles — similar population trajectory but a different regional economy.
- Bossier City — one of the few Louisiana cities still gaining residents, despite its smaller size.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average home price in Baton Rouge?
The typical home value in Baton Rouge is $213,322 as of February 2026. That is based on sixteen ZIP codes, ranging from $65,736 in 70805 to $348,953 in 70808.
Are home prices going up or down in Baton Rouge?
Prices are down 1.9% year over year. Values peaked at $217,471 in March 2025 and bottomed at $211,268 in October 2025, but the last four months have shown small gains.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Baton Rouge?
It depends on the ZIP. Citywide, the average rent of roughly $1,463 is close to the monthly carrying cost of buying the median home at today’s rates. In the cheapest ZIPs, buying is far cheaper than renting; in the priciest ZIPs, renting comes out ahead on monthly cash flow.
What is the most affordable neighborhood in Baton Rouge?
ZIP code 70805 at $65,736 is the cheapest, running at 31% of the city median. The next most affordable is 70802 at $80,547, followed by 70807 at $110,498.
Methodology
Home values are based on the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), a smoothed measure of typical home values in the 35th to 65th percentile range. Rent estimates use the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI). Population figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (2020-2024 vintage). All datasets are publicly available. Housing data updated 2026-02-28.