New Orleans, LA vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from New Orleans to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($261,414 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
New Orleans vs Minneapolis at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in New Orleans, LA, you'd need about $114,374 in Minneapolis, MN (+$14,374).
Livability — New Orleans, LA: 68 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,826 sqft in New Orleans vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($131 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New Orleans, LA | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,464 | $20,652 | +$1,188 |
| Groceries | $4,650 | $5,227 | +$577 |
| Transportation | $4,475 | $3,375 | −$1,100 |
| Utilities | $1,560 | $1,776 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $3,500 | $2,200 | −$1,300 |
| Taxes | $9,107 | $16,345 | +$7,238 |
| Total | $42,756 | $49,575 | +$6,819 |
Side by side
| Metric | New Orleans, LA | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.2 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.72% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $261,414 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $131 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,622 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.56% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 0.62% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.10% | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,500 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,000 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 630 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 43 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |