SalaryCompareTool

Chicago, IL vs New Orleans, LA

Moving from Chicago to New Orleans? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $261,414 median home) and taxes.

Chicago vs New Orleans at a glance

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

Chicago, IL New Orleans, LA Cost-of-living index Chicago, IL — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 New Orleans, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Chicago, IL — Median home price: $354k $354k New Orleans, LA — Median home price: $261k $261k Price per sqft Chicago, IL — Price per sqft: $208 $208 New Orleans, LA — Price per sqft: $131 $131 Median rent Chicago, IL — Median rent: $2,266 $2,266 New Orleans, LA — Median rent: $1,622 $1,622 Combined sales tax Chicago, IL — Combined sales tax: 8.9% 8.9% New Orleans, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Chicago, IL — Property tax rate: 2.11% 2.11% New Orleans, LA — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Chicago, IL — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 New Orleans, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Chicago, IL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 20.5 20.5 New Orleans, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Chicago, IL — Avg commute (min): 31 31 New Orleans, LA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Chicago, IL — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° New Orleans, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Chicago, IL — Avg winter low °F: 15° 15° New Orleans, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Chicago, IL, you'd need about $88,982 in New Orleans, LA (−$11,018).

Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · New Orleans, LA: 68 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 3,826 sqft in New Orleans ($208 vs $131 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryChicago, ILNew Orleans, LADifference
Housing $27,192 $19,464 −$7,728
Groceries $5,215 $4,650 −$565
Transportation $3,550 $4,475 +$925
Utilities $2,208 $1,560 −$648
Insurance $1,900 $3,500 +$1,600
Taxes $14,141 $9,107 −$5,034
Total $54,206 $42,756 −$11,450

Side by side

MetricChicago, ILNew Orleans, LA
Cost-of-living index102.591.2
Unemployment rate6.19%6.72%
Population growth (5-yr)0.2%0.3%
Air quality (median AQI)5648
Big Mac price (est.)$5.83$5.19
Median home price$353,998$261,414
Home price ÷ income4.2×4.2×
1-yr home appreciation4.4%2.8%
Price per square foot$208$131
Median rent$2,266$1,622
Total tax burden (% income)12.9%9.1%
Combined sales tax8.86%9.56%
Capital gains tax4.95%4.25%
Property tax rate2.11%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$14,000$8,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.10%
Avg commute (min)3126
Home insurance / yr$1,900$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$700$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$300$100
Electricity ¢/kWh20.514.4
Gas $/gal3.602.95
Violent crime /100k430630
Avg summer high °F8592
Avg winter low °F1543
Permit difficulty (1–5)42
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