Have a job prospect in New Orleans and I want to get a better handle on cost of living/logistical aspects of moving to New Orleans versus say, Houston. Area would be Metairie near the causeway. TIA.

Detroit, Cleveland, & New Orleans are the only three cities that you couldn't pay me enough to move to.

Add Philly to that list

Hope the power stays on!

If you are young, New Orleans could be real fun.

There are other parts of New Orleans besides downtown. Magazine Street is pretty cool area.

[This message has been edited by AggieC07 (edited 2/5/2013 3:18p).]

[This message has been edited by AggieC07 (edited 2/5/2013 3:18p).]

I relocated there for a job from 2002-2006. It was a good move for me, but I can say Nola wasn't for me or my family.

Cost wise I found the costs similar. LA has a state income tax, Texas has high property taxes. Not sure what the ins rates are in NOLA now as they drastically went u after Katrina, so my experience might not be valid any more.

Metairie had no allure for us when we moved there. When comparing the two places you need to compare like for like. You can't compare Katy pricing to Uptown.

Good luck!

LA has state income taxes but very low property taxes (approx half what you will pay in Texas) so whether or not you will own a home is important. Car insurance is double what I paid in Texas. Cost of living in the Garden District/CBD/Uptown area is comparable to living inside the loop in Houston (but you will not see many new homes or apartments--be prepared to live in a charming 1920s shotgun). Metairie living would be much cheaper but IMO you do not want to live there. NOLA can be a ton of fun but I would not recommend it for families. The food, music, culture, and abundance of activities cannot be beat for a young single person or a young couple without children.

friend of mine moved to Covington which is just outside NO...he likes it and has kids.

My first job after I finished my undergrad was in New Orleans. I had a love/hate relationship with the city for the duration of the 1 year that my fiancee and I lived there. I'll try to give you a run-down of what I liked and didn't like about it.

Pros:
- We lived right outside of the FQ in the Marigny Triangle (corner of Royal and Frenchmen St.) in an old shotgun house. Renting that house was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. If I were to ever move back to NOLA, this is exactly where I would go.

- It's an adventure. We were 22-23 years old, and met a ton of other people through my work who were the same age as us, and who were non-locals, so we got to experience the newness of the city together. There is always a festival or a random parade going on which makes a lazy Saturday or Sunday much more interesting.

- We could walk or take a trolley or a very cheap cab just about anywhere we wanted to go eat or drink.

- Frenchmen Street is awesome. It's more crowded now because people have "discovered" it, but when we were there it was strictly locals who wanted to listen to good music and get away from the tourists. That's why I wouldn't live anywhere else besides the Marigny/Frenchmen area.

Cons:
- Mardi Gras. Seriously, do it the first year you are there, but every year after that, plan a visit back to Texas to see your folks or something. The city's population swells, you can't move your car for a week because you'll lose your parking spot, and there's just too much crap everywhere.

- It's dirty. Full disclosure, I'm not much of a city guy to begin with, so I would probably say the same thing about living in any big city, but certain parts of the city are filthy.

- It's depressing. Things have changed a lot since we last lived there in 2007, but when we were there my everyday commute took me past some terrible hurricane damage that was just depressing to look at every day. And I don't really know where to put this, so I'll include it here: I also felt more racial tension there than I had ever experienced elsewhere, and that was depressing to me. We would walk into Wal-Mart and be the only white people in there, and everyone would give us the stink-eye. Same thing when we would go to the DPS to get a new drivers license or something like that.

Summary:
Sorry I don't have any comments on cost of living, but I would say it's comparable to living in the loop in Houston. We paid $800 for a 1200 sqft. shotgun rental. If you can find a place with guaranteed parking, that is a huge plus. I would not want to raise a family there either.

Good luck. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask.

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friend of mine moved to Covington which is just outside NO...he likes it and has kids.

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Not sure if I would consider 35-40 miles away from New Orleans "just outside".

This would always drive me nuts about locals, and the ferocity in which they would defend New Orleans, and how much they love it. Then you find out a lot of them don't even live in Orleans parish much less Jefferson parish.

I loved it but its not something I'd have done if I weren't in my mid 20s. I lived in the fq on royal street right by the cathedral. Much fun was to be had, but it was nearly impossible to find a parking spot on a good day if I didn't get there by 4. And dont even think about moving your car on the weekend. Lots of garages and you can rent a space for about $400 a month if I remember right. So yeah..I second finding a place with a dedicated space if you live in the area.

After 4 months I moved with a coworker to the clairton/ Claiborne area and loved it much better. Rented a 1890s 2 bedroom cottage for $600. Just remember that you'll have blocks of nice houses a street over from not so nice houses. If I could do things over again, I'd probably start out in that area or off of magazine street. Mostly locals hanging out on magazine, good food and drinks throughout the area. I often miss th bulldog on Wednesday nights.

When were you there jayrod? I used to do The Bulldog on Wednesday nights too.

Fall 09-spring 11. My entire glass collection is made up of pint glasses I got on Wednesday nights there.

Did Mardi gras living in the quarter, loved it but that's a once in a lifetime thing I'd rather not repeat. I enjoyed magazine street much more the second year.The parades were always awesome. I'm also missing king cake right about now.

I am from the NO area. I grew up in Mandeville and after 12 years in Texas (CS and Houston), I am so happy to be back. I live uptown about 5 blocks north of St. Charles Ave. While I know this thread is old, don't hesitate to let me know if you ever want to chat about the city or life here.

'04

If I didn't live in the thick of the action Mandeville on the lake is where I would be.