$100k salary, packing up from Wilmington

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New Orleans, LA cityscape

from wilmington

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

$188

under Wilmington, every month

A near-tie on cost. What separates New Orleans is the life around the numbers.
landable, recorded on the new orleans entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,612/mo

4% cheaper than Wilmington(vs $1,675/mo)

02state income tax

3%

$125/mo less in state tax than Wilmington

vs 4.5% in Wilmington

03after rent

$6,471/mo

$188 more than Wilmington

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

04a house here

$259k

42% cheaper than Wilmington

vs $448k in Wilmington

05metro size

962k

vs 467k in Wilmington

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

235

pleasant days a year, in new orleans.

Wilmington barely cracks 235 pleasant ones.

A month here packs 4.8× the events of Wilmington.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

55/100

2% higher than Wilmington

vs 54/100 in Wilmington

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

·walk score®

98/100

46% higher than Wilmington

vs 67/100 in Wilmington

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

39

680% more than Wilmington

vs 5 nonstops in Wilmington

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