Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Orleans vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
New Orleans is 15.8% more expensive than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 28.4% more in New Orleans
- Groceries
-
pay 32.9% more in New Orleans
- Transportation
-
pay 12.0% more in New Orleans
- Housing
-
pay 36.9% more in New Orleans
- Childcare
-
pay 5.1% less in New Orleans
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.7% more in New Orleans
- Clothing
-
pay 1.2% less in New Orleans
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment and sports in New Orleans are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in New Orleans.
New Orleans vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Orleans instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 28.4% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$26.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.10
|
|
Iowa vs. New Orleans - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.9% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$4.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$7.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$4.54
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$4.97
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.30
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.46
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.33
|
|
Iowa vs. New Orleans - Cost of groceries
pay 12.0% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$45.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$36,884.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$15.43
|
|
Iowa vs. New Orleans - Cost of transportation
pay 36.9% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$71.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$1,825.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$1,166.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$174.91
|
|
Iowa vs. New Orleans - Cost of housing
pay 5.1% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$1,563.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$10,230.00
|
|
Iowa vs. New Orleans - Cost of childcare
pay 6.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$5.61
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$8.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$62.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$13.00
|
|
Iowa vs. New Orleans - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.2% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
New Orleans
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$43.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$71.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$112.50
|
|
Iowa 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
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