City comparison
Alexandria, LA is about 175 miles (275 km) from New Orleans, LA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Alexandria, LA to New Orleans, LA takes about 21 min, covering roughly 175 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
New Orleans has a population of 380,408, vs 45,133 in Alexandria — about 8.4× larger by population. By land area, New Orleans covers about 170 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Alexandria.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Alexandria | New Orleans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $928/mo | $1,162/mo | 25.2% higher in New Orleans |
| Median home value | $179,900 | $281,500 | 56.5% higher in New Orleans |
| Median household income | $49,049 | $51,116 | 4.2% higher in New Orleans |
| Groceries index | 94.1 | 94.1 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 73.2 | 73.3 | ≈ equal (New Orleans slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 96.1 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 95.6 | 95.6 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Alexandria, you'd need $117,207 in New Orleans to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Alexandria, LA is about 14.7% cheaper overall than New Orleans, LA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 56% higher in New Orleans than in Alexandria. If you earn $80,000 in Alexandria, you'd need about $93,766 in New Orleans to keep the same standard of living.