Great Falls Baton Rouge

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

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

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

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 96.8 → 90.8
Rent Delta: -$80/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 6% lower cost of living
  • + $80/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 96.8 to 90.8, so each dollar covers more in Baton Rouge (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $80/mo ($960/yr) from $1,284 in Great Falls to $1,204 in Baton Rouge.

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

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

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: 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
Great Falls
Baton Rouge
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.8
RPP 90.8
Baton Rouge
Rent (2BR)
$1,284/mo
$1,204/mo
Baton Rouge
Wages
$60,566
$61,934
Baton Rouge
Crime
426 per 100K
410 per 100K
Baton Rouge
Schools
11.8:1
16.8:1
Great Falls
Childcare
$11,466/yr
$7,396/yr
Baton Rouge
Environment
1604 violations
14536 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 · Montana
53 D #38/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
68
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
82
Destination state · Louisiana
67 C #15/51
Income tax
78
Property tax
79
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
8

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

Equivalent salary in Baton Rouge
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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