Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Orleans vs. Chicago Cost of Living Summary
New Orleans is 13.2% cheaper than Chicago.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.8% more in New Orleans
- Groceries
-
pay 10.0% more in New Orleans
- Transportation
-
pay 12.9% less in New Orleans
- Housing
-
pay 5.8% less in New Orleans
- Childcare
-
pay 48.8% less in New Orleans
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.6% less in New Orleans
- Clothing
-
pay 19.9% less in New Orleans
The cost of groceries and restaurants in New Orleans are more expensive than in Chicago. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and housing are lower in New Orleans.
New Orleans vs. Chicago Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Orleans instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 5.8% more for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$26.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.96
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.33
|
$2.10
|
|
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.0% more for groceries
|
Chicago
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.01
|
$4.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.05
|
$7.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.30
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.02
|
$4.54
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.55
|
$4.97
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.85
|
$2.30
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$2.46
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$1.33
|
|
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of groceries
pay 12.9% less for transportation
|
Chicago
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.81
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$45.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,691.85
|
$36,884.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$15.43
|
|
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of transportation
pay 5.8% less for housing
|
Chicago
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.83
|
$71.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,418.00
|
$1,825.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,692.50
|
$1,166.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.41
|
$174.91
|
|
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of housing
pay 48.8% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,050.00
|
$1,563.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$39,114.29
|
$10,230.00
|
|
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of childcare
pay 20.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.53
|
$5.61
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$8.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$71.80
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$13.00
|
|
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.9% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.24
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.62
|
$43.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.48
|
$71.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.50
|
$112.50
|
|
Chicago vs. New Orleans - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New Orleans or Chicago. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.