Cost of living in New Orleans, LA
The New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area (966,230 people) ranks #119 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare New Orleans with your city
See what you'd need to earn in New Orleans to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Baton Rouge, LA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in New Orleans: $71,700
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $71,700 in New Orleans, LA to match $70,000 in Baton Rouge, LA ($1,700 more), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Louisiana, so state income tax is the same; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in New Orleans
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in New Orleans
On a $60,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $48,976 after 2026 federal tax ($5,020), Social Security and Medicare ($4,590) and Louisiana income tax ($1,414).
Housing
| Measure | New Orleans area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,262/mo |
| Median home value | $267,900 |
| Median property tax | $1,636/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,748 |
| Median household income | $62,373 |
Climate and jobs in New Orleans
In the New Orleans area the average January low is 46°F and the average July high 91°F, and the area has about 85 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.4% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $47,290 a year, 7% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 46°F |
| July high | 91°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 85 a year |
| Precipitation | 63 in a year |
| Snowfall | 0 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $47,290 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 445,550 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the New Orleans International Airport station (USW00012916). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in New Orleans
A single retiree spends about $2,917 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,758 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from New Orleans
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the New Orleans area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 94.9 of 100), with expected losses of about $858 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Louisiana.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in New Orleans?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $71,000 in New Orleans. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $50,480, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $74,901.
Is New Orleans expensive?
The New Orleans metro area's price level is 92.6 (U.S. = 100), #119 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 86.0, 14% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to New Orleans?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, New Orleans had a net loss of about 2,195 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in New Orleans?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the New Orleans area (New Orleans International Airport weather station), the average January low is 46°F and the average July high 91°F. The area has about 85 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 63 inches of precipitation a year and almost no snow.
What are jobs and pay like in New Orleans?
The New Orleans metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.4% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $47,290 a year in May 2025, 7% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect New Orleans?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 94.9). The highest relative risks are hurricane, heat wave, lightning.
Compare New Orleans with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Moving from Louisiana