

Atlanta vs New Orleans
$68/mo less in New Orleans
AtlantaNew OrleansAbout 433 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- New Orleans costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 240 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,414/mo in New Orleans. $2,482/mo in Atlanta. −$816 a year.
Atlanta
$2,482
left each month
New Orleans
$2,414
−$68 vs Atlanta
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 292 households moved Atlanta → New Orleans (avg AGI $51,349). 426 went the other way. The whole move →
−$68 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Atlanta | New Orleans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,875 | $6,994 | −$881 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,993 | $1,553 | −$439 |
| Take-home pay | $5,882 | $5,440 | −$442 |
| Rent | $1,399 | $1,223 | −$176 |
| Getting around | $580 | $498 | −$82 |
| Groceries | $392 | $360 | −$32 |
| Healthcare | $441 | $405 | −$36 |
| Utilities | $245 | $225 | −$20 |
| Everything else | $343 | $315 | −$28 |
| Left over | $2,482 | $2,414 | −$68 |
Salary to match Atlanta
$85,000
Gross pay in New Orleans that leaves the same amount as $94,500 in Atlanta.
Tax difference
+$2,139
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.3% in Atlanta, 22.2% in New Orleans.
More about New Orleans
Atlanta, GA in full
Big-city pay at mid-market housing costs, with a 31-minute average commute.
New Orleans, LA in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,456 and 240 sunny days; commutes average 25 minutes.
The other way
Start in New Orleans.
New Orleans → Atlanta →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in New Orleans than Atlanta?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, New Orleans leaves about $68 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,399 in Atlanta and $1,223 in New Orleans.
Does New Orleans have state income tax?
New Orleans is in Louisiana, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Atlanta to New Orleans?
The paycheck is taxed in Louisiana. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Atlanta and New Orleans changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.