SalaryCompareTool

Indianapolis, IN vs New Orleans, LA

Moving from Indianapolis to New Orleans? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $261,414 median home) and taxes.

Indianapolis vs New Orleans at a glance

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

Indianapolis, IN New Orleans, LA Cost-of-living index Indianapolis, IN — Cost-of-living index: 95 95 New Orleans, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Indianapolis, IN — Median home price: $296k $296k New Orleans, LA — Median home price: $261k $261k Price per sqft Indianapolis, IN — Price per sqft: $156 $156 New Orleans, LA — Price per sqft: $131 $131 Median rent Indianapolis, IN — Median rent: $1,553 $1,553 New Orleans, LA — Median rent: $1,622 $1,622 Combined sales tax Indianapolis, IN — Combined sales tax: 7.0% 7.0% New Orleans, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Indianapolis, IN — Property tax rate: 0.84% 0.84% New Orleans, LA — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Violent crime /100k Indianapolis, IN — Violent crime /100k: 360 360 New Orleans, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Indianapolis, IN — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.9 17.9 New Orleans, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Indianapolis, IN — Avg commute (min): 25 25 New Orleans, LA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Indianapolis, IN — Avg summer high °F: 86° 86° New Orleans, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Indianapolis, IN — Avg winter low °F: 20° 20° New Orleans, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $96,349 in New Orleans, LA (−$3,651).

Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · New Orleans, LA: 68 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 3,826 sqft in New Orleans ($156 vs $131 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryIndianapolis, INNew Orleans, LADifference
Housing $18,636 $19,464 +$828
Groceries $4,740 $4,650 −$90
Transportation $3,250 $4,475 +$1,225
Utilities $1,932 $1,560 −$372
Insurance $1,600 $3,500 +$1,900
Taxes $7,367 $9,107 +$1,740
Total $37,525 $42,756 +$5,231

Side by side

MetricIndianapolis, INNew Orleans, LA
Cost-of-living index94.791.2
Unemployment rate4.28%6.72%
Population growth (5-yr)6.1%0.3%
Air quality (median AQI)5548
Big Mac price (est.)$5.39$5.19
Median home price$295,921$261,414
Home price ÷ income4.0×4.2×
1-yr home appreciation1.3%2.8%
Price per square foot$156$131
Median rent$1,553$1,622
Total tax burden (% income)9.3%9.1%
Combined sales tax7.00%9.56%
Capital gains tax3.05%4.25%
Property tax rate0.84%0.62%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$8,000
Vehicle property tax1.20%0.10%
Avg commute (min)2526
Home insurance / yr$1,600$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,400$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$600$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh17.914.4
Gas $/gal3.302.95
Violent crime /100k360630
Avg summer high °F8692
Avg winter low °F2043
Permit difficulty (1–5)22

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