Affordable housing and a cost-of-living roughly 20% below the national average are reasons that retirees enjoy living in Natchitoches.   The median home price is $185,000 for a 1,500 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home.    Expect, though, to pay a price in the mid to high-$100,000s for a nice, 1,600 square foot, 2-3 bedroom home, although some smaller homes are for sale in the $100,000 range.  At the other end of the scale, $435,000 will fetch a truly stunning, 3,600 square foot, two-story, 5 bedroom, 3 bath, Georgian/Tutor-style, brick home with marble floors, cathedral ceilings, a curved staircase and 2.5 acres.  

The area around Natchitoches is dotted with lakes, and lovely, 2 to 3 bedroom, 2,300 square foot, lake homes with acreage can easily be found in the low to mid to high-$200,000 range.   There are a number of newer subdivisions where very nice, brick, 3 to 4 bedroom homes also start in the low to mid-$200,000s.  These include St. Clair Estates and Jean Clair Estates.   New homes in Oak Point Estates are more expensive, in the low to mid-$300,000 price range.  Some wonderfully restored, turn-of-the-20th-century, 2-3 bedroom homes are for sale in the Historic District, starting at around $250,000, and newly restored Historic District condos are for sale starting at $239,000.

Natchitoches' average apartment costs $485 per month to rent, but most one bedroom apartments we found were in the $525 per month range (two bedrooms were running $570-$650 per month).   Natchitoches also has several mobile home parks, including Carter's Mobile Home Park (318-352-1410), Bayou Vista Mobile Home Park (318-352-0201) and B&D Country Estates (318-356-9007).  

This is an interactive map.  Click on the arrows in the upper left hand corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and click on the +/- signs to zoom in and out.

The tax rate in Natchitoches Parish (the Parish in which Natchitoches is located) is $107 per $1,000 of assessed value, and there is a $75,000 homestead exemption.   In the City of Natchitoches, the tax rate is $17 per $1,000 of assessed value, with the land and residential improvements assessed at 10% of fair market value, with no homestead exemption.   On a $100,000 home, residents pay parish taxes on $2,500 and city taxes on $10,000.  Taxes due the parish would be $268, and taxes due the city would be $170, for a total bill of $438.  These property tax rates are some of the lowest in the country.  The sales tax is 9% (groceries for preparation and prescription drugs are taxed at 4.5%).

Natchitoches, Louisiana, Continued....

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