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New Orleans, LA Cost of Living Calculator

Prices in the New Orleans, LA area are 7.4% below the US average, and housing 14.0% below (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.

Prices in an average US city are 8.0% higher than in New Orleans, LA, so $75,000 in New Orleans, LA buys what $80,994 buys in an average US city.

The same living standard in an average US city
$80,994
Prices overall
+8.0%
Housing costs
+16.3%

New Orleans, LA price levels by category (US average = 100)

CategoryPrice levelAgainst the US
All items92.67.4% below
Housing86.014.0% below
Goods93.76.3% below
Utilities71.228.8% below
Other services95.74.3% below

What $75,000 in New Orleans, LA equals in other large metros

Metro areaEquivalent salaryPrices
New York, NY$91,19921.6%
Los Angeles, CA$92,00922.7%
Chicago, IL$83,90911.9%
Dallas, TX$83,50411.3%
Houston, TX$79,8606.5%
Washington, DC$88,20217.6%
Philadelphia, PA$83,09910.8%
Atlanta, GA$81,0758.1%
Miami, FL$92,49523.3%
Phoenix, AZ$83,66611.6%

How this calculator works

BEA regional price parities for the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.

What it assumes

  • Before tax, and averaged across the whole metro area.

Questions people ask

Is New Orleans expensive to live in?

Overall prices are 7.4% below the US average; housing is 14.0% below.

What salary do I need in New Orleans, LA?

To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $69,450. The area's median household income is $62,655.

How much is rent in New Orleans, LA?

The median gross rent (including utilities) is $1,217 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

How does New Orleans, LA compare with New York?

New York prices are 21.6% relative to New Orleans, LA: $75,000 here equals $91,199 there.

Nearby and large metro areas

Related calculators

  • Cost of Living CalculatorWhat salary in another city gives you the same standard of living, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 price levels for 193 metro areas.
  • New Orleans, LA Rent Affordability CalculatorThe median rent in the New Orleans, LA area is $1,217 a month including utilities, which takes 23% of the median household income ($62,655). Paying it on 30% of income needs about $48,680 a year.
  • Paycheck CalculatorWhat you take home from each paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, with 2026 tax rates for every state.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.