Beaumont vs New Orleans
The short version
- Beaumont is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the New Orleans area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $166,400 in Beaumont and $315,700 in New Orleans.
- Beaumont is growing faster: -1.8% since 2020 vs -5.7%.
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Louisiana's top rate is 3%.
Side by side
| Beaumont, TX | New Orleans, LA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 112,967 | 362,154 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.8% | -5.7% |
| People per square mile | 1,375 | 2,137 |
| Median age | 35.3 | 38.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $56,997 | $56,631 |
| Median home value | $166,400 | $315,700 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,121 | $1,251 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.0 | 92.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 70.9 | 86.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,500 | $69,400 |
| Homeowners | 55% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | None | 3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 10.13% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.3 | 22.6 |
| Work from home | 5% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.4% | 7.5% |
| Poverty rate | 21.2% | 22.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 43° | 61° / 47° |
| July high / low | 92° / 76° | 91° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 65 in | 60 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 95 | 86 |
| Nights below freezing | 9 | 2 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.7 | 98.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 41% | 52% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | +2.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.3% | +13.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Beaumont: February to April and November. New Orleans: February and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Beaumont weather by month and New Orleans weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,500 in Beaumont and $69,400 in New Orleans. Moving from Beaumont to New Orleans, you would need about $77,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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