City comparison
Austin, TX is about 475 miles (750 km) from New Orleans, LA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 600 miles, or about 9 h 45 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 Austin, TX to New Orleans, LA takes about 56 min, covering roughly 475 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.
Austin has a population of 958,202, vs 380,408 in New Orleans — about 2.5× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 170 sq mi for New Orleans.
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 | Austin | New Orleans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,162/mo | 33.3% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $281,500 | 63.9% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $51,116 | 69.3% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.1 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 73.3 | 13.4% higher in Austin |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 96.1 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 95.6 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Austin, you'd need $85,315 in New Orleans to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New Orleans, LA is about 14.7% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 39% higher in Austin than in New Orleans. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $68,252 in New Orleans to keep the same standard of living.