Moving to Louisiana from Massachusetts
What to Expect
Considering a move from Massachusetts to Louisiana? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Louisiana, you would find that Louisiana is 25.6% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $55,800 in Louisiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — New Orleans averages 77°F vs 59°F in Boston, making it significantly warmer. Boston and New Orleans are about 1,350 mi apart.
Is Louisiana cheaper than Massachusetts?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 9.6% less
Groceries
pay 12.8% less
Transportation
pay 13.5% less
Housing
pay 41.1% less
Childcare
pay 47.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.5% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Louisiana?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $55,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Louisiana
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Louisiana cost about 21% less than cities in Massachusetts.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Louisiana compared to Massachusetts.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs better than Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Massachusetts performs better than Louisiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Louisiana performs significantly better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Massachusetts generally does better on infrastructure, though Louisiana leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Louisiana leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts performs better than Louisiana across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Louisiana vs Massachusetts
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | New Orleans |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 65°/51°F (18°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 84°/70°F (29°/21°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 89°/77°F (32°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 71°/57°F (21°/14°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | New Orleans |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 60°/46°F (15.6°/8.0°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 64°/50°F (17.9°/9.9°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 71°/56°F (21.4°/13.3°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 77°/63°F (25.2°/17.1°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.5°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 89°/76°F (31.8°/24.4°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 90°/78°F (32.5°/25.5°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 91°/78°F (32.7°/25.7°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 87°/75°F (30.4°/23.7°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 79°/66°F (25.9°/18.9°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 71°/57°F (21.5°/13.7°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 63°/49°F (17.0°/9.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Louisiana than Massachusetts?
On average Louisiana is about 26% less expensive than Massachusetts, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Louisiana?
Budget about $13,950 for 3 months in Louisiana (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Louisiana safe?
Massachusetts performs better than Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Louisiana compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts performs better than Louisiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Louisiana compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in New Orleans is 77°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. New Orleans receives around 56.8 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
