SalaryCompareTool

Charlotte, NC vs New Orleans, LA

Moving from Charlotte to New Orleans? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $261,414 median home) and taxes.

Charlotte vs New Orleans at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Charlotte, NC New Orleans, LA Cost-of-living index Charlotte, NC — Cost-of-living index: 97 97 New Orleans, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Charlotte, NC — Median home price: $390k $390k New Orleans, LA — Median home price: $261k $261k Price per sqft Charlotte, NC — Price per sqft: $195 $195 New Orleans, LA — Price per sqft: $131 $131 Median rent Charlotte, NC — Median rent: $1,740 $1,740 New Orleans, LA — Median rent: $1,622 $1,622 Combined sales tax Charlotte, NC — Combined sales tax: 7.0% 7.0% New Orleans, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Charlotte, NC — Property tax rate: 0.72% 0.72% New Orleans, LA — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Charlotte, NC — Violent crime /100k: 400 400 New Orleans, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Charlotte, NC — Electricity ¢/kWh: 16.3 16.3 New Orleans, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Charlotte, NC — Avg commute (min): 27 27 New Orleans, LA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Charlotte, NC — Avg summer high °F: 89° 89° New Orleans, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Charlotte, NC — Avg winter low °F: 30° 30° New Orleans, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $93,702 in New Orleans, LA (−$6,298).

Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · New Orleans, LA: 68 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 3,826 sqft in New Orleans ($195 vs $131 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryCharlotte, NCNew Orleans, LADifference
Housing $20,880 $19,464 −$1,416
Groceries $4,834 $4,650 −$184
Transportation $3,130 $4,475 +$1,345
Utilities $1,752 $1,560 −$192
Insurance $2,000 $3,500 +$1,500
Taxes $8,740 $9,107 +$367
Total $41,336 $42,756 +$1,420

Side by side

MetricCharlotte, NCNew Orleans, LA
Cost-of-living index97.391.2
Unemployment rate4.71%6.72%
Population growth (5-yr)10.0%0.3%
Air quality (median AQI)5348
Big Mac price (est.)$5.54$5.19
Median home price$390,321$261,414
Home price ÷ income5.1×4.2×
1-yr home appreciation-0.4%2.8%
Price per square foot$195$131
Median rent$1,740$1,622
Total tax burden (% income)9.9%9.1%
Combined sales tax6.98%9.56%
Capital gains tax4.25%4.25%
Property tax rate0.72%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$10,000$8,000
Vehicle property tax1.10%0.10%
Avg commute (min)2726
Home insurance / yr$2,000$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,400$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$800$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh16.314.4
Gas $/gal3.202.95
Violent crime /100k400630
Avg summer high °F8992
Avg winter low °F3043
Permit difficulty (1–5)32

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