Last Updated on March 14, 2024
New Orleans is widely known for its culture and unique southern creole charm, but did you know this big city is also widely affordable as well? In fact, New Orleans’ low cost of living makes it one of 2020’s booming move-in cities.
So if you’re looking to join in and enjoy life in The Big Easy, here is what you need to know before moving to New Orleans.
1. You’ll enjoy New Orleans’ cost of living.
As noted above, a big driver in newcomers is Nola’s low cost of living. To give you some details on that, Bestplaces.net ranks cities on a cost of living index, with 100 being the national average. New Orleans scores a 96.3 overall, but you’ll see significant savings in areas such as health and housing. For instance, the median home cost is only $178,500—nearly $50,000 less than the national average!
2. You won’t be the only newcomer to Nola
According to a report by Redfin, a national real estate brokerage, nearly 30% of those searching for a place to live in New Orleans are actually from outside of the area–meaning you’ll be far from the only new resident around.
3. Experience the poly-cultural of New Orleans
New Orleans is a true melting pot in its culture with aspects of French, Spanish, Congolese, Haitian, Native American, Creole, Latino, Sicilian, and more cultures and peoples converging in this one beautiful town.
From the amazing food to eat to the sights to see, you need to check out all the New Orleans cultures for yourself.
4. Know your New Orleans neighborhoods
When you get here, you’ll soon see that while overall Nola has a unique culture, its neighborhoods will offer you a unique facet of that overall. For instance, Bywater was once an overlooked area, but now it’s full of locally owned restaurants and businesses. Meanwhile, you can enjoy a streetcar through the Garden District to enjoy Magazine Street to experience the leafy, green residential joy that is this area.
We encourage you to explore New Orlean’s handy neighborhood guide for yourself to find the first part of the city to explore.
5. Learn the Nola language
You’ll find out quickly that New Orleans has a unique way of saying certain things. For instance, the city has parishes, not counties. You’ll also have a hard time hearing a local reference north or south when giving directions.
These two points are due to the city’s history and location. Originally, the French and Spanish founders of the city mapped the city based on its church parishes. And while the city was being built, its streets bend and curve along with the river. To help you out, rather than ask in terms of north, south, east, or west use terms like lakebound, riverbound, uptown, and downtown.
We can help you move or stay in New Orleans
Do you live in New Orleans and think there is more we should share? Or are you convinced and packing your bags to move to Nola? Either way, we’re excited to help. Regardless of whether during the relocation or helping you get more space for less money, click here to learn how New Orleans self storage can help you.
