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St. Helena Parish, LA

Rent vs Own in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana

Real numbers, not rules of thumb: St. Helena Parish's rent-vs-own math, drawn from actual property tax rates and HUD Fair Market Rents. Owner-occupied homes: 3,297.

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Buying is cheaper in St. Helena Parish

Renting a 2-BR here costs $1,204/mo; the ownership estimate below comes to $453/mo. That is a $751/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in St. Helena Parish

St. Helena Parish's numbers: a $77,300 median home value, $469 in yearly property tax, and a 0.61% effective rate tying the two together. The full monthly ownership bill here (mortgage, tax, insurance, standard 20%-down/6.5% financing) is $453; HUD's 2-bedroom rental estimate is $1,204/mo. On those assumptions, owning is about $751/mo cheaper than renting before accounting for maintenance, HOA fees, or closing costs.

The median household income in St. Helena Parish is $41,934, which puts the home-price-to-income ratio at roughly 1.8x, a common affordability yardstick flags ratios above 5x as stretched. Property taxes alone consume 1.1% of median income, versus a 2%–4% national benchmark. These are median-household snapshots, not personalized numbers, your own rent-versus-own math depends on down payment, credit, mortgage rate, how long you plan to stay, and whether you itemize the property tax deduction on your federal return.

St. Helena Parish moved from a HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,222/mo in FY2025 to $1,204/mo in FY2026. The annual update decreased by $18/mo (-1.5%). That is in line with the modest single-digit annual FMR adjustment HUD applies in most counties.

This county's ownership-to-rent result ranks 1 of 64 in Louisiana, using the same 20%-down and 6.5% scenario throughout this page. It is the state's most buy-favorable county by this measure.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$453
Mortgage (P&I) $391
Property Tax $39
Insurance (est.) $23
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,204
Studio$1,032
1-Bedroom$1,064
2-Bedroom$1,204
3-Bedroom$1,511
4-Bedroom$1,943

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$41,934
$3,495/mo
Home Price / Income
1.8x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.1%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Nearby Counties

Jefferson Parish
Home: $251,400 Tax: $1,312/yr
East Baton Rouge Parish
Home: $248,800 Tax: $1,656/yr
St. Tammany Parish
Home: $284,000 Tax: $2,028/yr
Orleans Parish
Home: $315,700 Tax: $2,606/yr
Lafayette Parish
Home: $242,900 Tax: $1,380/yr
Caddo Parish
Home: $175,700 Tax: $1,085/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana? ▼
Renting comes out ahead in St. Helena Parish under the standard 20%-down, 6.5% assumptions used on this page, by roughly $751 a month. That gap narrows or reverses with a bigger down payment, a lower rate, or a longer time horizon (owning builds equity that renting doesn't), so treat the number as a starting point, not a verdict, and rerun it with your own terms in the calculator above.
What is the median home price in St. Helena Parish? ▼
$77,300, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.61% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
What is the average rent in St. Helena Parish? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,204/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $911/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
How much house can you afford in St. Helena Parish? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $41,934 household here can afford up to $125,802, which comfortably covers this county's $77,300 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
Is rent going up or down in St. Helena Parish? ▼
Comparing HUD's FY2025 and FY2026 Fair Market Rent figures for St. Helena Parish shows a fallen 2-bedroom rate 1.5%. HUD updates this annually from local rent surveys, and one year's change isn't necessarily the start of a longer trend.
How does St. Helena Parish compare to other Louisiana counties for renting vs buying? ▼
On buy-vs-rent value, St. Helena Parish sits at rank 1 among 64 Louisiana counties tracked here, putting it in the more buy-favorable quarter of the state. See the <a href="/states/louisiana">Louisiana property tax overview</a> for how neighboring counties stack up.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax Editorial

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →