SalaryCompareTool

Denver, CO vs New Orleans, LA

Moving from Denver to New Orleans? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($573,221 → $261,414 median home) and taxes.

Denver vs New Orleans at a glance

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

Denver, CO New Orleans, LA Cost-of-living index Denver, CO — Cost-of-living index: 106 106 New Orleans, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Denver, CO — Median home price: $573k $573k New Orleans, LA — Median home price: $261k $261k Price per sqft Denver, CO — Price per sqft: $302 $302 New Orleans, LA — Price per sqft: $131 $131 Median rent Denver, CO — Median rent: $1,910 $1,910 New Orleans, LA — Median rent: $1,622 $1,622 Combined sales tax Denver, CO — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% New Orleans, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Denver, CO — Property tax rate: 0.52% 0.52% New Orleans, LA — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Denver, CO — Violent crime /100k: 490 490 New Orleans, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Denver, CO — Electricity ¢/kWh: 16.5 16.5 New Orleans, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Denver, CO — Avg commute (min): 28 28 New Orleans, LA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Denver, CO — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° New Orleans, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Denver, CO — Avg winter low °F: 18° 18° New Orleans, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Denver, CO, you'd need about $86,221 in New Orleans, LA (−$13,779).

Livability — Denver, CO: 52 · New Orleans, LA: 68 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,657 sqft in Denver vs 3,826 sqft in New Orleans ($302 vs $131 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryDenver, CONew Orleans, LADifference
Housing $22,920 $19,464 −$3,456
Groceries $5,079 $4,650 −$429
Transportation $4,050 $4,475 +$425
Utilities $1,788 $1,560 −$228
Insurance $2,800 $3,500 +$700
Taxes $9,828 $9,107 −$720
Total $46,464 $42,756 −$3,708

Side by side

MetricDenver, CONew Orleans, LA
Cost-of-living index105.891.2
Unemployment rate4.26%6.72%
Population growth (5-yr)5.7%0.3%
Air quality (median AQI)6448
Big Mac price (est.)$6.02$5.19
Median home price$573,221$261,414
Home price ÷ income5.9×4.2×
1-yr home appreciation-2.9%2.8%
Price per square foot$302$131
Median rent$1,910$1,622
Total tax burden (% income)9.7%9.1%
Combined sales tax7.77%9.56%
Capital gains tax4.40%4.25%
Property tax rate0.52%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$8,000
Vehicle property tax1.79%0.10%
Avg commute (min)2826
Home insurance / yr$2,800$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$2,000$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$550$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh16.514.4
Gas $/gal3.302.95
Violent crime /100k490630
Avg summer high °F8892
Avg winter low °F1843
Permit difficulty (1–5)32

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