New Orleans, LA vs Orlando, FL
Moving from New Orleans to Orlando? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($261,414 → $387,733 median home) and taxes.
New Orleans vs Orlando 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 $111,400 in Orlando, FL (+$11,400).
Livability — New Orleans, LA: 68 · Orlando, FL: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,826 sqft in New Orleans vs 2,385 sqft in Orlando ($131 vs $210 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New Orleans, LA | Orlando, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,464 | $23,724 | +$4,260 |
| Groceries | $4,650 | $4,813 | +$163 |
| Transportation | $4,475 | $4,800 | +$325 |
| Utilities | $1,560 | $1,656 | +$96 |
| Insurance | $3,500 | $4,200 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $9,107 | $4,915 | −$4,192 |
| Total | $42,756 | $44,108 | +$1,352 |
Side by side
| Metric | New Orleans, LA | Orlando, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.2 | 101.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.72% | 5.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 12.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $261,414 | $387,733 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | -3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $131 | $210 |
| Median rent | $1,622 | $1,977 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.56% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.62% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,500 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 630 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 43 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |