Moving from New Orleans to Austin

The Story

NOLA-to-Austin is culture → tech boom move. LA 3% → TX 0% saves $3,000/yr. Housing 86% MORE Austin ($295K → $550K), COL 28% higher. Pull: Tech boom (Apple Austin campus, Tesla Gigafactory, Oracle HQ, Indeed, IBM), live music capital (SXSW, ACL Festival), UT Austin, no state income tax, hill country.

Why This Move

Why people move from New Orleans to Austin.

Tech boom — Apple, Tesla Gigafactory, Oracle HQ, Indeed, IBM
Live music + festival capital — SXSW, ACL (NOLA culture parallel)
UT Austin Tier 1 research
No state income tax (saves $3,000/yr)
Hill country outdoor + lakes
BBQ + breakfast tacos food scene
F1 Circuit of Americas
No hurricane evacuation drills

Cost Comparison

The money side of LA → TX.

New Orleans

Median home$295,000
Income tax3% (LA flat)
Cost index93

Austin

Median home$550,000
Income taxNone (TX)
Cost index119

What to Do in Austin

Things you'll want to know about your new city.

Bookmark this page — these are the icons of Austin, organized by what kind of day you're planning.

Outdoors & Recreation

Zilker Park & Barton Springs — 350-acre urban park, 68°F natural spring pool year-round
Lady Bird Lake — Hike-and-bike trail, kayaking, paddleboarding
Mount Bonnell — 775-ft hill with city and Lake Austin views
McKinney Falls State Park — Waterfalls and limestone bluffs in the city

Culture & Arts

Texas State Capitol — Tallest state capitol building, free tours
South by Southwest (SXSW) — Annual music/film/tech festival in March
Austin City Limits Festival — October two-weekend music festival in Zilker Park

Family-Friendly

Congress Avenue Bridge Bats — 1.5M Mexican free-tailed bats emerge nightly Mar-Nov
Texas Memorial Museum — UT campus natural history museum

Nightlife & Entertainment

6th Street — Historic entertainment district

Where to Eat

Austin's essential restaurants.

The dining list every Austin resident knows by heart. Save the spots, work through them.

Franklin Barbecue BBQ East Austin

Brisket worth the 2-hour line
Uchi Japanese South Lamar

Tyson Cole's flagship sushi
Suerte Mexican East Austin

Heirloom corn masa, James Beard nominee
Odd Duck New American South Lamar

Farm-to-table sharing plates
Veracruz All Natural Tacos Multiple

Best migas tacos in town
Uchiko Japanese Rosedale

Uchi's farmhouse sister restaurant
Olamaie Southern Downtown

Modern interpretation of Southern classics
Loro Asian smokehouse South Lamar

Aaron Franklin's Asian-BBQ collab

Where to Live

Best Austin neighborhoods for New Orleans transplants.

Mapped to the New Orleans neighborhoods that probably feel like home to you.

East Austin

If Marigny was your scene — walkable urban, art, food trucks
South Congress/SoCo

If Bywater was your vibe — foodie, walkable, eclectic
Tarrytown

If Garden District was your goal — affluent, walkable
Westlake (suburb)

If Lakeview was your model — top schools, affluent
Mueller (suburb)

If you wanted master-planned — new urbanist, walkable
Round Rock (suburb)

If you wanted newer family — Apple/Dell, top schools

Climate & Walkability

What daily life feels like in Austin.

Climate

Humid subtropical. Hot summers (95-105°F, peaks over 110°F). Mild winters (40-65°F, occasional freezes). Spring is glorious; fall arrives late. Sun 230+ days/year. Annual rainfall 35 inches with occasional flash floods.

Summer90-105°F
Winter45-65°F
Sun days/yr228
Rainfall34 inches

Walkability

Walk Score42/100
Transit Score33/100
Bike Score56/100

Austin is car-dependent — most errands require driving.

Outdoors & Recreation

Lady Bird Lake — kayak, paddleboard, hike-and-bike trail
Greenbelt (Barton Creek) — 7-mile urban hiking corridor
Hill Country day trips — wine country, Hamilton Pool, Krause Springs
Lake Travis — boating and lakeside dining
Austin's 250+ parks system; Zilker is the crown jewel
Cycling — over 100 miles of urban bike lanes

Reality Check

What changes about your daily life.

LA 3% becomes TX 0% — saves $3,000/year on $100K
Housing 86% MORE expensive — $295K NOLA becomes $550K Austin
COL 28% higher
Climate similar humid subtropical
Property tax TX 1.8% vs LA 0.6% (significantly higher)
NOLA hospitality/healthcare → Austin tech/live music venue pivot
Less hurricane risk inland
Sports — gain Longhorns/F1, lose Saints/Pelicans

Driving Routes

How to drive there.

I-10 W to I-35 N

510 miles via Lafayette, Houston, San Antonio. 8 hours / 1 day.

Move Logistics

What it takes to move 510 miles.

Full-service (3BR)$3,200-$6,000
Container/PODS$2,400-$3,800
DIY (26-ft truck)$1,800-$3,200
Best monthsOct-May (avoid summer + hurricane peak)
Lead time4-6 weeks ahead

USDOT-registered.

Common Questions