Is Augusta cheaper than New Orleans?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Augusta and New Orleans metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Augusta or New Orleans?

Augusta has the higher median household income — $72,176 versus $62,373 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 16% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Augusta or New Orleans?

A paycheck stretches further in Augusta. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,535 there versus $67,360 in New Orleans.

Which has cheaper rent, Augusta or New Orleans?

Rents are close — $1,243/mo in the Augusta metro versus $1,262/mo in New Orleans (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Augusta vs New Orleans

Metro-area medians — Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area vs New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Augusta and New Orleans are evenly matched, each taking 3 of the clearly-decided measures.

Augusta and New Orleans cost about the same to live in, but Augusta households earn about 16% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Augusta.

Their widest everyday difference: New Orleans has the tighter job market — 5% unemployment versus 6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Augusta, GA

$58,044

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$63,158

real value after local prices

New Orleans, LA

$59,439

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$64,191

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, New Orleans leaves you about $1,033/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Augusta

New Orleans

Livability (CityLedger)

40/100

36/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

91.9

92.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$78,535

$67,360

Median household income

$72,176

$62,373

Median rent

$1,243/mo

$1,262/mo

Median home value

$262,100

$267,900

Unemployment

Bachelor's degree or higher

29.8%

34.2%

Average commute

25.2 min

24.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

67°F

70°F

Choose Augusta for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income

Full Augusta profile →

Choose New Orleans for

+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full New Orleans profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Augusta and New Orleans on cost, income, size, and education.

Augusta vs Chattanooga→Augusta vs Greensboro→Augusta vs Knoxville→New Orleans vs Knoxville→New Orleans vs Greensboro→New Orleans vs Columbia→

Augusta vs New Orleans — frequently asked

Is Augusta cheaper than New Orleans?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Augusta and New Orleans metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Augusta or New Orleans?: Augusta has the higher median household income — $72,176 versus $62,373 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 16% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Augusta or New Orleans?: A paycheck stretches further in Augusta. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,535 there versus $67,360 in New Orleans.
Which has cheaper rent, Augusta or New Orleans?: Rents are close — $1,243/mo in the Augusta metro versus $1,262/mo in New Orleans (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).