Cost of Living in Lake Charles, LA (2025)

FAQs

How much does it cost to live in Lake Charles, LA? ›

The average monthly rent in Lake Charles is $1,024, while home prices circle around $302,971. Thinking of moving? New apartments in Lake Charles, LA are waiting for you. Start your search here!

Living in Lake Charles offers residents a sparse suburban feel and most residents own their homes. Many families and young professionals live in Lake Charles and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Lake Charles are above average.

Lake Charles, LA minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour. This is equal to the Federal Minimum Wage of $7.25.

As a rule of thumb, a good salary in Los Angeles is between $100k and $200k gross per year. Based on the cost of living in Los Angeles, this should come down to a minimum of $76,710 yearly after taxes.

Lake Charles sales tax details

The minimum combined 2024 sales tax rate for Lake Charles, Louisiana is 10.2%. This is the total of state, county, and city sales tax rates. The Louisiana sales tax rate is currently 4.45%. The Lake Charles sales tax rate is 5.75%.

Between 2019 and 2020, the Lake Charles area lost a higher share of its population than any other city in the U.S., a pattern of out-migration sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic and severely exacerbated by Laura and Delta. People left for bigger urban areas like Houston and New Orleans, where housing could be found.

The living wage in Louisiana is $11.33 per hour, or $23,560 per year.

Is it cheaper to live in Texas or Louisiana? ›

Like the weather, Louisiana has a similar cost of living to Texas. But compared to the cost of living index, it is slightly lower. Housing, food, healthcare, and transportation costs are expected to be the same. The difference arises in utilities.

You need to make at least $458,269 to be among the top 1% of earners in Louisiana, according to a recent SmartAsset analysis of IRS tax filer data. That's $194,388 less than the national household figure of $652,657.

$7.25 hourly is how much per year? If you make $7.25 per hour, your Yearly salary would be $15,080.

Louisiana: Average Salary

The average salary in Louisiana is $66,665 per year or $32.05 per hour.

Lake Charles Demographics

Black or African American: 45.8% White: 45.37% Two or more races: 5.16% Asian: 2.56%

How much is the cost to living in Los Angeles? While your spending habits influence your budget, you can expect an average monthly cost of living in Los Angeles of $3,437 for 1 person. Living expenses in Los Angeles are twice as high as the US average, mainly driven by the high cost of housing.

The city and metropolitan area of Lake Charles is considered a regionally significant center of petrochemical refining, gambling, tourism, and education, being home to McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College.

Yes! Southwest Louisiana has numerous beaches. In Lake Charles proper, there are three. The popular beachfront off the Downtown Lake Charles Exit 29 and one at Golden Nugget and L'Auberge Casino Resorts.