?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Metairie, LA vs New Orleans, LA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Metairie needs about $90,500 in New Orleans to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from New Orleans, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $79,500 in Metairie.

A few differences

Metairie vs New Orleans · facet by facet
FacetMetairie, LANew Orleans, LA
Median home price$327,500$250,000
2-bedroom rent$1,241/mo$1,550/mo
Property tax rate0.55%0.85%
State & local income tax3.01%3.01%
Sales tax9.55%9.45%
Cost of living index9196
Groceries index97100
Utilities$165/mo$175/mo
Median household income$73,042$51,000
Unemployment rate4.2%4.6%
Crime index75/10065/100
School rating4.2/104.5/10
Sunny days / year215 days216 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Metairie, LA · New Orleans, LA
Questions & answers
Is Metairie cheaper than New Orleans?
Metairie has the lower day-to-day cost index (91 vs 96 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in New Orleans equals $85,000 in Metairie?
A household earning $85,000 in Metairie needs about $90,500 in New Orleans to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of New Orleans lifestyle costs about $79,500 in Metairie.