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Relocation profile · Federal data

Lake Charles, LA

BEA RPP 85.9 ranks #16 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

85.9
Cost index (US=100)
$1,217
2BR rent / mo
$58,097
Median salary
45.8
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Lake Charles ranks #275 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (45.8/100), with its strongest marks in cost of living and climate.

#275
of 387 US metros · Near median
4,597,740
metro-area population
410
violent crimes per 100K (state-level)
1,330
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: job market (9/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Lake Charles ranks #275 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 85.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,217/mo, median salary $58,097; LiveAbility Score 45.8/100, strongest in cost of living and climate.

Signature: BEA RPP 85.9 ranks #16 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 85.9 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,217/mo.

LiveAbility 45.8/100 puts Lake Charles in the bottom third (#275 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Lake Charles area is 93,170.

Lake Charles vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

46 Top 71% higher than 29% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Lake Charles housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Lake Charles MSA; housing RPP 51.8 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,217/mo.

Studio
$921
/month
1 Bedroom
$928
/month
2 Bedroom
$1,217
/month
3 Bedroom
$1,459
/month
4 Bedroom
$1,611
/month

Lake Charles wages and employment

Lake Charles posts 93,170 total employment with median salary $58,097 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary
$58,097
Mean Salary
$61,919
Total Employment
93,170

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation Median Salary
Cashiers $27,480
Retail Salespersons $28,780
Registered Nurses $90,690
Fast Food and Counter Workers $22,500
General and Operations Managers $101,370

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Lake Charles area from NCES.

Schools
1,330
Enrollment
674,456
Student:Teacher
13.6:1
Title I %
78%

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Lake Charles area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)
$7,396
per year
Toddler (Center)
$7,237
per year
Preschool (Center)
$7,111
per year

Life Score Breakdown

Lake Charles's composite Life Score is 61.4/100 (C), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost
96/100
Elite
Wages
9/100
Bottom decile
Rent
62/100
Above average
Crime
27/100
Weak
Schools
90/100
Elite
Childcare
85/100
Elite
Environment
96/100
Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Lake Charles ranks #275 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 45.8/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Cost of living (96/100)

Lake Charles - dimension scores

Percentile vs all US metros (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)

score

What this shows Lake Charles's strongest dimensions are cost of living and climate; its weakest among scored dims is job market at 9/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Source BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · NOAA · FEMA As of Federal data, latest available vintage

Compare Lake Charles to

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury Brownsville-Harlingen Brunswick-St. Simons Buffalo-Cheektowaga Burlington Burlington-South Burlington

Metros near Lake Charles on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Lake Charles on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

† No air quality reading on file for this metro, so its score is built from fewer than all 8 dimensions: the missing dimension is omitted and the remaining weights renormalized. It is not directly comparable with a full 8-dimension score.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Lake Charles cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Lake Charles wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

What to do with the Lake Charles numbers

Here is where Lake Charles stands: a $58,097 median salary, an 85.9 cost index and a LiveAbility rank of #275 of 387.

  • Check how Lake Charles's salary and cost figures land on your own budget. Salary calculator
  • Put Lake Charles head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Lake Charles
  • Abilene is the nearest related metro in this corpus, and the two are easy to compare. Abilene profile
  • A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score can point in different directions; this guide covers how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Read the cost, salary and score figures as federal-data percentiles, not as advice to move.