Baton Rouge Great Falls

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Baton Rouge to Great Falls is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.8 to 96.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $80/mo.

-$1,368
BLS median salary lower in Great Falls
410 to 426
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
16.8:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,070
DOL infant care higher / yr in Great Falls

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 90.8 → 96.8
Rent Delta: +$80/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 6% higher cost of living
  • - $80/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 90.8 to 96.8, so the same paycheck buys less in Great Falls (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $80/mo ($960/yr) from $1,204 in Baton Rouge to $1,284 in Great Falls.

Baton Rouge still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Great Falls sits #315 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Baton Rouge is #291/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,368 lower ($61,934 → $60,566). Labor-market size: 395,730 tracked jobs at origin vs 31,100 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Louisiana scores 67 (C, #15/51) vs Montana at 53 (D, #38/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Baton Rouge
Great Falls
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 90.8
RPP 96.8
Baton Rouge
Rent (2BR)
$1,204/mo
$1,284/mo
Baton Rouge
Wages
$61,934
$60,566
Baton Rouge
Crime
410 per 100K
426 per 100K
Baton Rouge
Schools
16.8:1
11.8:1
Great Falls
Childcare
$7,396/yr
$11,466/yr
Baton Rouge
Environment
14536 violations
1604 violations
Great Falls

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Louisiana
67 C #15/51
Income tax
78
Property tax
79
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
8
Destination state · Montana
53 D #38/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
68
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
82

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Baton Rouge to see what you'd need to earn in Great Falls to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Great Falls
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026