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CityLedger

Greenville vs New Orleans

Metro-area medians — Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metro Area vs New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Greenville comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Greenville and New Orleans cost about the same to live in, but Greenville households earn about 22% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Greenville.

Their widest everyday difference: Greenville has the tighter job market — 4.5% unemployment versus 5%.

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.

Greenville, SC
$58,400
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$62,621
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 $1,570/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
Greenville
New Orleans
Livability (CityLedger)
52/100
36/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
93.3
92.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$81,365
$67,360
Median household income
$75,881
$62,373
Median rent
$1,236/mo
$1,262/mo
Median home value
$300,400
$267,900
Unemployment
4.5%
5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
36.5%
34.2%
Average commute
24.4 min
24.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
49
48
Avg temperature
63°F
70°F

Choose Greenville for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Greenville profile →

Choose New Orleans for

  • + Median home value
Full New Orleans profile →

More comparisons

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

Greenville vs Knoxville→Greenville vs Columbia→Greenville vs Albuquerque→New Orleans vs Knoxville→New Orleans vs Greensboro→New Orleans vs Columbia→

Greenville vs New Orleans — frequently asked

Is Greenville cheaper than New Orleans?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Greenville and New Orleans metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Greenville or New Orleans?
Greenville has the higher median household income — $75,881 versus $62,373 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 22% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Greenville or New Orleans?
A paycheck stretches further in Greenville. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $81,365 there versus $67,360 in New Orleans.
Which has cheaper rent, Greenville or New Orleans?
Rents are close — $1,236/mo in the Greenville metro versus $1,262/mo in New Orleans (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).