Overall
92.6
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Cost-of-living indicators for New Orleans-Metairie, LA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 92.6
- Overall RPP
- #226
- of 387 metros
- 86.0
- Rents RPP
- $108K
- $100K national buys
New Orleans ranks #226 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 5.6 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Fort Wayne
The verdict
New Orleans costs less than 58% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.6, 7.4% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 71.2.
- bottom 42%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 71.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,995 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,597.
Service-cost relief profile
How New Orleans's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in New Orleans: their index is 71.2, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 92.6 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA, Idaho Falls, ID, Knoxville, TN. They resemble New Orleans across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, New Orleans's overall index has fallen by 5.6 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
New Orleans vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 42% higher than 42% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
New Orleans cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
86 RPP
- Services
Services
71.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
92.6 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows New Orleans's strongest departure is services at 71.2; rents follows at 86.0. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where New Orleans's cost comes from
Metros near New Orleans's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- New Orleans (New Orleans, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 86
- Fort Wayne: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 72.3
- Knoxville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 82.8
- Waco: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 83.5
- Kansas City: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 86.6
- Wausau: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 71.5
- Corpus Christi: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 84.9
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
71.2
Cheap
Rents
86.0
Cheap
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 5.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 2.8 points from the year before.
New Orleans overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.2 |
| 2009 | 96.1 |
| 2010 | 97.6 |
| 2011 | 97.7 |
| 2012 | 97.9 |
| 2013 | 97.4 |
| 2014 | 97.5 |
| 2015 | 96.7 |
| 2016 | 98.2 |
| 2017 | 96.5 |
| 2018 | 93.7 |
| 2019 | 94.7 |
| 2020 | 95.7 |
| 2021 | 94.4 |
| 2022 | 93.7 |
| 2023 | 91.2 |
| 2024 | 92.6 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
New Orleans's overall RPP rose +1.4 points, from 91.2 in 2023 to 92.6 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 77.8 to 86.0. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$92,597
in New Orleans-Metairie, LA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,299
$75,000 nationally
$69,448
$125,000 nationally
$115,746
$150,000 nationally
$138,896
$200,000 nationally
$185,194
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
40/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
40th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to New Orleans's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.7 · Rents 85.4 Idaho Falls, ID
Goods 96.2 · Services 69.7 · Rents 84.0 Knoxville, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 71.9 · Rents 82.8 Bismarck, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 75.0 · Rents 84.0 Helena, MT
Goods 96.0 · Services 72.6 · Rents 90.1 Omaha, NE-IA
Goods 94.1 · Services 76.4 · Rents 86.4
LA-relative analysis
Goods prices places New Orleans-Metairie, LA near the bottom of LA's metros
Among the 10 LA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, New Orleans-Metairie, LA ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares New Orleans-Metairie, LA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
0th percentile in LA
Services prices
#6 of 10
40th percentile in LA
Rent prices
#1 of 10
90th percentile in LA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within LA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for New Orleans-Metairie, LA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (92.6 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (86.0 here).
Other LA Metros
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 92.7 Baton Rouge, LA 90.8 Lafayette, LA 87.2 Lake Charles, LA 85.9 Alexandria, LA 85.7 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 85.1
View all LA metros → Cheapest in LA → Most expensive in LA →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to New Orleans-Metairie, LA's index of 92.6.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for New Orleans
How to read New Orleans's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $107,995 in New Orleans. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 71.2, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare New Orleans head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?
New Orleans-Metairie, LA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.6, meaning it is 7.4% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 71.2, and rents at 86.0. It ranks #226 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in New Orleans-Metairie, LA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,597 in New Orleans-Metairie, LA. Conversely, $100K earned in New Orleans-Metairie, LA has the purchasing power of $107,995 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?
Rents in New Orleans-Metairie, LA are indexed at 86.0, which is 14.0% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is New Orleans-Metairie, LA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, New Orleans-Metairie, LA's overall cost index changed by -5.6 points (from 98.2 to 92.6). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?
The priciest category in New Orleans-Metairie, LA is goods at 93.7, 6.3% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 71.2, 28.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to New Orleans-Metairie, LA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Fort Wayne, Knoxville, Waco. These areas have RPP values within a few points of New Orleans-Metairie, LA's 92.6.
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.