City comparison
Houston, TX is about 325 miles (550 km) from New Orleans, LA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 400 miles, or about 6 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 Houston, TX to New Orleans, LA takes about 39 min, covering roughly 325 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.
Houston has a population of 2,296,253, vs 380,408 in New Orleans — about 6.0× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 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 | Houston | New Orleans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,162/mo | 6.3% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $281,500 | 19.8% higher in New Orleans |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $51,116 | 18.2% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 94.1 | 6.6% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 73.3 | 31.3% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 96.1 | ≈ equal (New Orleans slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 95.6 | ≈ equal (New Orleans 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 Houston, you'd need $89,685 in New Orleans to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New Orleans, LA is about 10.3% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 20% higher in Houston than in New Orleans. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $71,748 in New Orleans to keep the same standard of living.