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CityLedger

Houma vs Macon

Metro-area medians — Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA Metro Area vs Macon-Bibb County, GA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Houma comes out ahead, winning 8 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.

Houma is both cheaper to live in (about 4% less) and higher-earning (about 10% more) than Macon. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Houma.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Houma, LA
$59,439
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$69,843
real value after local prices
Macon, GA
$58,044
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$65,565
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Houma leaves you about $4,278/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Houma
Macon
Livability (CityLedger)
38/100
21/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
85.1
88.5
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$73,250
$63,977
Median household income
$62,338
$56,638
Median rent
$980/mo
$1,104/mo
Median home value
$192,000
$219,400
Unemployment
3.5%
6.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
20.3%
24.3%
Average commute
27.2 min
25.4 min
Air quality (median AQI)
48
51
Avg temperature
70°F
65°F

Choose Houma for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Houma profile →

Choose Macon for

  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Macon profile →

Houma vs Macon — frequently asked

Is Houma cheaper than Macon?
Houma is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Macon's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Houma or Macon?
Houma has the higher median household income — $62,338 versus $56,638 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 10% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Houma or Macon?
A paycheck stretches further in Houma. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $73,250 there versus $63,977 in Macon.
Which has cheaper rent, Houma or Macon?
Houma has cheaper rent — a median of $980/mo versus $1,104/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).