Overall
- Knoxville
- 92.6
- New Orleans-Metairie
- 92.6
Diff +0.0 RPP
Knoxville vs New Orleans-Metairie
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. New Orleans-Metairie is 0% more expensive than Knoxville.
0% more expensive
New Orleans-Metairie, LA is 0% more expensive than Knoxville, TN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.6 vs 92.6). A $100,000 salary in Knoxville buys about the same as $100,030 in New Orleans-Metairie; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.6 (Knoxville) vs 92.6 (New Orleans-Metairie)
- $100k in Knoxville ≈ $100,030 purchasing power in New Orleans-Metairie
- Rents drives the gap (+3.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TN:LA 92.6→92.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TN × LA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Knoxville
92.6
Cost Index
New Orleans-Metairie
92.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Knoxville, TN and New Orleans-Metairie, LA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.0 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: New Orleans-Metairie is 3.2 points higher. But goods and services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Knoxville corresponds to $100,030 in New Orleans-Metairie.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Knoxville
- 96.2
- New Orleans-Metairie
- 93.7
Diff -2.6 RPP
Services
- Knoxville
- 71.9
- New Orleans-Metairie
- 71.2
Diff -0.6 RPP
Rents
- Knoxville
- 82.8
- New Orleans-Metairie
- 86.0
Diff +3.2 RPP
| Category | Knoxville | New Orleans-Metairie | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.6 | 92.6 | +0.0 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 93.7 | -2.6 |
| Services | 71.9 | 71.2 | -0.6 |
| Rents | 82.8 | 86.0 | +3.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Knoxville 92.6
New Orleans-Metairie 92.6
Goods
Knoxville 96.2
New Orleans-Metairie 93.7
Services
Knoxville 71.9
New Orleans-Metairie 71.2
Rents
Knoxville 82.8
New Orleans-Metairie 86.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Knoxville would need to be in New Orleans-Metairie for the same purchasing power:
| In Knoxville | In New Orleans-Metairie | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,015 | +$15 |
| $75,000 | $75,023 | +$23 |
| $100,000 | $100,030 | +$30 |
| $150,000 | $150,045 | +$45 |
$ in Knoxville = in New Orleans-Metairie
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.6 → 92.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New Orleans-Metairie more expensive than Knoxville?
New Orleans-Metairie is 0% more expensive than Knoxville. The overall cost index is 92.6 vs 92.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in New Orleans-Metairie equals $100K in Knoxville?
A $100,000 salary in Knoxville has the same purchasing power as $100,030 in New Orleans-Metairie. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Knoxville and New Orleans-Metairie?
Rents in Knoxville are indexed at 82.8 while New Orleans-Metairie is at 86.0 (national average = 100). New Orleans-Metairie has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.