City comparison
New Orleans, LA vs Port St. Lucie, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Port St. Lucie, FL are 8.2% higher than in New Orleans, LA. Someone earning $100,000 in New Orleans, LA would need about $108,200 in Port St. Lucie, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,467 a month in Port St. Lucie, FL versus $1,113 in New Orleans, LA. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Port St. Lucie, FL and 17% in New Orleans, LA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $2,614 a year higher in New Orleans, LA than in Port St. Lucie, FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +6.5% moving from New Orleans, LA to Port St. Lucie, FL ($106,437 → $113,356), while prices change by +8.2%. Net effect of the transfer: −1.6% in real buying power.
- New Orleans, LA: price level 92.6 (cheaper)
- Port St. Lucie, FL: price level 100.2 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| New Orleans, LA | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 92.6 | 100.2 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $108,241 in Port St. Lucie | $92,386 in New Orleans |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,113/mo | $1,467/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $76,566 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $2,614 (LA) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 17% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,290 | $46,490 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Rent areas: New Orleans-Metairie, LA HUD Metro FMR Area and Port St. Lucie, FL MSA. Metro areas: New Orleans-Metairie, LA and Port St. Lucie, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | New Orleans | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 86.0 | 113.6 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 71.2 | 87.0 |
| Other services | 95.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 92.6 | 100.2 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
New Orleans, LA → Port St. Lucie, FL
Same pay buys less
Buying power −7.6%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax −$2,614/yr.
45 Weak offer
Port St. Lucie, FL → New Orleans, LA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +8.2%; rent takes 17% of take-home; state tax +$2,614/yr.
95 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
New Orleans, LA is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; Port St. Lucie, FL is in Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from New Orleans, LA to Port St. Lucie, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | New Orleans, LA | Port St. Lucie, FL | Real change, New Orleans → Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $65,735 | −1.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $79,533 | −1.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $95,326 | −1.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $113,356 | −1.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $133,953 | −1.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | New Orleans, LA | Port St. Lucie, FL | Port St. Lucie pay in New Orleans dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $60,350 | $53,610 | $49,528 (−17.9%) |
| Software Developers | $106,950 | $128,510 | $118,726 (+11.0%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $77,940 | $79,430 | $73,382 (−5.8%) |
| Registered Nurses | $81,850 | $82,090 | $75,840 (−7.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.