Dallas vs New Orleans
The short version
- New Orleans is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Dallas area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $315,700 in New Orleans and $320,700 in Dallas.
- Households earn more in Dallas ($70,518 vs $56,631 median).
- Dallas has more scorching days: 108 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 86.
- Dallas is growing faster: +1.9% since 2020 vs -5.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in New Orleans (23 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Louisiana's top rate is 3%.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | New Orleans, LA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,329,491 | 362,154 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.9% | -5.7% |
| People per square mile | 3,914 | 2,137 |
| Median age | 33.4 | 38.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $70,518 | $56,631 |
| Median home value | $320,700 | $315,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.5× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,472 | $1,251 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 92.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 86.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,300 | $69,400 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | None | 3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 10.13% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.7 | 22.6 |
| Work from home | 16% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 7.5% |
| Poverty rate | 16.7% | 22.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 38° | 61° / 47° |
| July high / low | 97° / 78° | 91° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 60 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 108 | 86 |
| Nights below freezing | 23 | 2 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 98.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | 52% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +2.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.4% | +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: Dallas: March to April and November. New Orleans: February and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Dallas 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 $77,300 in Dallas and $69,400 in New Orleans. Moving from Dallas to New Orleans, you would need about $67,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Dallas and New Orleans
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Dallas and New Orleans.
Which would you pick?
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