same $100k income, fresh start from Boston

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New Orleans, LA cityscape

next stop after boston

New Orleans

la · metro 962k

photo: Chad Populis / pexels

a dispatch from

new orleans

LA

29.95°N

90.07°W

New Orleans doesn't run on time, it runs on rhythm. The brass bands roll second-line parades through the streets for weddings, funerals, and Tuesdays, the gumbo is a personality test, and the French Quarter's wrought-iron balconies look exactly like the postcards. Mardi Gras is real life here, not a stunt. The air carries beignet sugar, river mist, and someone's trumpet warming up two blocks over.

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,699

cheaper each month than Boston

In New Orleans, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the new orleans entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,612/mo

49% cheaper than Boston(vs $3,145/mo)

02state income tax

3%

$167/mo less in state tax than Boston

vs 5% in Boston

03after rent

$6,471/mo

$1,699 more than Boston

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$259k

66% cheaper than Boston

vs $771k in Boston

05metro size

962k

vs 4.9M in Boston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

235

pleasant days a year, in new orleans.

Boston only logs 160 pleasant days.

But the calendar thins out: Boston stays 1.8× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

55/100

23% lower than Boston

vs 71/100 in Boston

Closest outdoor draw: Fontainebleau State Park District I, 27.2 mi.

·walk score®

98/100

0% lower than Boston

vs 98/100 in Boston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

39

62% fewer than Boston

vs 103 nonstops in Boston

04 · see also

neighbors of new orleans on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

myrtle beach

better weather

turn the page

see also

savannah

similar overall lifestyle

turn the page

see also

greenville

better park access

turn the page

compare new orleans with:

Myrtle BeachSavannahGreenville