$90,000 in St. Louis ≈ $87,634 in New Orleans

$87,634

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (95.1 → 92.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in New Orleans run −2.6% vs St. Louis for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

St. Louis RPP
95.1
New Orleans RPP
92.6
Price gap
−2.6%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in New Orleans run −2.6% versus St. Louis on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in St. Louis maps to about $87,634 in New Orleans for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in New Orleans: $87,634

Live math: salary × (92.6 ÷ 95.1). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in New Orleans

In St. LouisIn New Orleans
$60,000$58,423
$90,000$87,634
$150,000$146,057

Equivalent = origin salary × (92.6 ÷ 95.1). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSt. LouisNew OrleansUS
All items95.192.6100
Goods100.093.7100
Housing (rents)79.086.0100
Other services98.695.7100

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

Wages in both metros

OccupationSt. LouisNew OrleansDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Architectural and Engineering Managers$162,660$165,620$130,770 to $185,810560+1.8%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$167,130$131,570$99,990 to $172,030800−21.3%
Financial Managers$158,780$134,110$103,990 to $173,0401,970−15.5%
Industrial Production Managers$122,860$147,980$111,910 to $178,340580+20.4%
Pharmacists$138,530$128,100$123,010 to $151,5101,470−7.5%
Marketing Managers$137,900$126,740$90,100 to $161,730250−8.1%
Lawyers$142,690$121,290$78,890 to $164,3104,330−15.0%
Physician Assistants$136,120$124,580$123,210 to $148,710400−8.5%

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 New Orleans to match $90,000 in St. Louis?
About $87,634, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 95.1 and 92.6. 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.