$90,000 in New Orleans ≈ $95,832 in Houston

$95,832

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (92.6 → 98.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Houston run +6.5% vs New Orleans for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

New Orleans RPP
92.6
Houston RPP
98.6
Price gap
+6.5%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Houston run +6.5% versus New Orleans on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in New Orleans maps to about $95,832 in Houston for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Houston: $95,832

Live math: salary × (98.6 ÷ 92.6). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Houston

In New OrleansIn Houston
$60,000$63,888
$90,000$95,832
$150,000$159,719

Equivalent = origin salary × (98.6 ÷ 92.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentNew OrleansHoustonUS
All items92.698.6100
Goods93.7100.6100
Housing (rents)86.0104.5100
Other services95.795.6100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationNew OrleansHoustonDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Architectural and Engineering Managers$165,620$172,020$155,420 to $217,5505,330+3.9%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$131,570$172,160$136,430 to $212,71013,090+30.9%
Financial Managers$134,110$166,910$130,430 to $217,13018,570+24.5%
Industrial Production Managers$147,980$133,870$101,510 to $170,0506,060−9.5%
Marketing Managers$126,740$153,030$109,990 to $200,9508,930+20.7%
Lawyers$121,290$157,980$105,240 to $243,93016,810+30.2%
Pharmacists$128,100$140,470$127,070 to $163,5106,410+9.7%
Physician Assistants$124,580$137,240$109,990 to $160,3902,390+10.2%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in Houston to match $90,000 in New Orleans?
About $95,832, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 92.6 and 98.6. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
Does this include taxes or benefits?
No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.

What this covers

Includes

  • BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
  • BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
  • Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)

Does not include

  • Federal, state, or local income taxes
  • Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
  • Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand

See methodology and disclaimer.