New Orleans vs Tallahassee
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $294,400 in Tallahassee and $315,700 in New Orleans.
- Tallahassee is growing faster: +4.4% since 2020 vs -5.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Tallahassee (19 vs 23 minutes each way).
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; Louisiana's top rate is 3%.
Side by side
| New Orleans, LA | Tallahassee, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 362,154 | 204,902 |
| Growth since 2020 | -5.7% | +4.4% |
| People per square mile | 2,137 | 1,998 |
| Median age | 38.8 | 28.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $56,631 | $57,409 |
| Median home value | $315,700 | $294,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 5.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,251 | $1,293 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.6 | 93.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 86.0 | 78.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,400 | $70,400 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 41% |
| Top state income tax | 3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 10.13% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.6 | 19.1 |
| Work from home | 15% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.5% | 6.4% |
| Poverty rate | 22.6% | 23.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 61° / 47° | 64° / 41° |
| July high / low | 91° / 78° | 92° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 60 in | 59 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 86 | 103 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 27 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.3 | 93.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 52% | 51% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.7% | +5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +13.9% | +42.9% |
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: New Orleans: February and October to November. Tallahassee: February, April and October to December.
Full monthly tables: New Orleans weather by month and Tallahassee weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,400 in New Orleans and $70,400 in Tallahassee. Moving from New Orleans to Tallahassee, you would need about $76,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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