Is New Orleans cheaper than Winston-Salem?

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

Which has higher household income, New Orleans or Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem has the higher median household income — $65,903 versus $62,373 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in New Orleans or Winston-Salem?

A paycheck stretches further in Winston-Salem. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $71,600 there versus $67,360 in New Orleans.

Which has cheaper rent, New Orleans or Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem has cheaper rent — a median of $1,102/mo versus $1,262/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

New Orleans vs Winston-Salem

Metro-area medians — New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area vs Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Winston-Salem comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

New Orleans and Winston-Salem cost about the same to live in, but Winston-Salem households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Winston-Salem.

Their widest everyday difference: Winston-Salem has the tighter job market — 3.4% 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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

New Orleans, LA

$59,439

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$64,191

real value after local prices

Winston-Salem, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,740

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, New Orleans leaves you about $451/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

New Orleans

Winston-Salem

Livability (CityLedger)

36/100

46/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

92.6

92.0

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$67,360

$71,600

Median household income

$62,373

$65,903

Median rent

$1,262/mo

$1,102/mo

Median home value

$267,900

$270,700

Unemployment

3.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

34.2%

33.4%

Average commute

24.9 min

23.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

70°F

60°F

Choose New Orleans for

+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full New Orleans profile →

Choose Winston-Salem for

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

Full Winston-Salem profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to New Orleans and Winston-Salem on cost, income, size, and education.

New Orleans vs Knoxville→New Orleans vs Greensboro→New Orleans vs Columbia→Winston-Salem vs Greensboro→Winston-Salem vs Akron→Winston-Salem vs Dayton→

New Orleans vs Winston-Salem — frequently asked

Is New Orleans cheaper than Winston-Salem?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the New Orleans and Winston-Salem metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, New Orleans or Winston-Salem?: Winston-Salem has the higher median household income — $65,903 versus $62,373 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in New Orleans or Winston-Salem?: A paycheck stretches further in Winston-Salem. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $71,600 there versus $67,360 in New Orleans.
Which has cheaper rent, New Orleans or Winston-Salem?: Winston-Salem has cheaper rent — a median of $1,102/mo versus $1,262/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).