New Orleans, LA vs San Juan, PR
Moving from New Orleans to San Juan? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($261,414 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
New Orleans vs San Juan 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 $109,656 in San Juan, PR (+$9,656).
Livability — New Orleans, LA: 68 · San Juan, PR: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,826 sqft in New Orleans vs 2,500 sqft in San Juan ($131 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New Orleans, LA | San Juan, PR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,464 | $18,000 | −$1,464 |
| Groceries | $4,650 | $5,000 | +$350 |
| Transportation | $4,475 | $2,960 | −$1,515 |
| Utilities | $1,560 | $1,728 | +$168 |
| Insurance | $3,500 | $1,200 | −$2,300 |
| Taxes | $9,107 | $37,720 | +$28,613 |
| Total | $42,756 | $66,608 | +$23,852 |
Side by side
| Metric | New Orleans, LA | San Juan, PR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.2 | 100.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.72% | 13.00% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | -5.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.69 |
| Median home price | $261,414 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 13.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $131 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,622 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 11.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.56% | 11.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 33.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.62% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $5,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,500 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,300 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 16.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 630 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 43 | 72 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |