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CityLedger

Baton Rouge vs New Orleans

Metro-area medians — Baton Rouge, LA Metro Area vs New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Baton Rouge comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Baton Rouge and New Orleans cost about the same to live in, but Baton Rouge households earn about 11% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Baton Rouge.

Their widest everyday difference: New Orleans is more educated — 34.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree versus 30.9%.

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.

Baton Rouge, LA
$59,439
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$65,475
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, Baton Rouge leaves you about $1,285/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
Baton Rouge
New Orleans
Livability (CityLedger)
40/100
36/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
90.8
92.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$76,331
$67,360
Median household income
$69,293
$62,373
Median rent
$1,138/mo
$1,262/mo
Median home value
$252,000
$267,900
Unemployment
5%
5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
30.9%
34.2%
Average commute
27.3 min
24.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
53
48
Avg temperature
69°F
70°F

Choose Baton Rouge for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
Full Baton Rouge profile →

Choose New Orleans for

  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full New Orleans profile →

More comparisons

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

Baton Rouge vs Birmingham→Baton Rouge vs Augusta→Baton Rouge vs Jackson→New Orleans vs Knoxville→New Orleans vs Greensboro→New Orleans vs Columbia→

Baton Rouge vs New Orleans — frequently asked

Is Baton Rouge cheaper than New Orleans?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Baton Rouge or New Orleans?
Baton Rouge has the higher median household income — $69,293 versus $62,373 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Baton Rouge or New Orleans?
A paycheck stretches further in Baton Rouge. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $76,331 there versus $67,360 in New Orleans.
Which has cheaper rent, Baton Rouge or New Orleans?
Baton Rouge has cheaper rent — a median of $1,138/mo versus $1,262/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).