Overall
85.9
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Lake Charles, LA
Cost-of-living indicators for Lake Charles, LA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 85.9
- Overall RPP
- #372
- of 387 metros
- 51.8
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Lake Charles ranks #372 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.6 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Jonesboro
The verdict
Lake Charles costs less than 96% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 85.9, 14.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 51.8.
- bottom 4%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 71.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,480 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,852.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Lake Charles's overall RPP fell -1.2 points, from 87.1 in 2023 to 85.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 57.1 to 51.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 3.1 points from the year before.
Lake Charles overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 90.5 |
| 2009 | 87.4 |
| 2010 | 89.5 |
| 2011 | 90.5 |
| 2012 | 90.6 |
| 2013 | 91.2 |
| 2014 | 90.6 |
| 2015 | 91.3 |
| 2016 | 91.2 |
| 2017 | 91.8 |
| 2018 | 89.4 |
| 2019 | 89.9 |
| 2020 | 91.2 |
| 2021 | 90.6 |
| 2022 | 89.5 |
| 2023 | 87.1 |
| 2024 | 85.9 |
Lake Charles vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 4% higher than 4% of 387 US metros
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, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Lake Charles cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
51.8 RPP
- Services
Services
71.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
85.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Lake Charles's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 51.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 71.7. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Lake Charles's cost comes from
Metros near Lake Charles's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Lake Charles (Lake Charles, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 51.8
- Jonesboro: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.8
- Fort Smith: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.4
- McAllen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
- Johnstown: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Anniston: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
71.7
Cheap
Rents
51.8
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Lake Charles's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Lake Charles: rents index at 51.8, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 85.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA, Shreveport-Bossier City, LA, Alexandria, LA. They resemble Lake Charles across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Lake Charles's overall index has fallen by 4.6 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$85,852
in Lake Charles, LA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,926
$75,000 nationally
$64,389
$125,000 nationally
$107,315
$150,000 nationally
$128,778
$200,000 nationally
$171,704
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
96/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
96th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
LA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Lake Charles, LA near the bottom of LA's metros
Among the 10 LA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Lake Charles, LA ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Lake Charles, LA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 10
0th percentile in LA
Services prices
#3 of 10
70th percentile in LA
Rent prices
#7 of 10
30th percentile in LA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within LA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Lake Charles, LA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (85.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (51.8 here).
Other LA Metros
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 92.7 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 92.6 Baton Rouge, LA 90.8 Lafayette, LA 87.2 Alexandria, LA 85.7 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 85.1
View all LA metros → Cheapest in LA → Most expensive in LA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Lake Charles's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.3 · Rents 51.3 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 72.6 · Rents 52.3 Alexandria, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.1 · Rents 53.7 Enid, OK *
Goods 93.8 · Services 74.4 · Rents 51.4 Fort Smith, AR-OK
Goods 93.6 · Services 73.8 · Rents 53.4 Hammond, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.0 · Rents 48.2
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Lake Charles, LA's index of 85.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Lake Charles
How to read Lake Charles's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $116,480 in Lake Charles. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 51.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Lake Charles head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Lake Charles, LA?
Lake Charles, LA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 85.9, meaning it is 14.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 71.7, and rents at 51.8. It ranks #372 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Lake Charles, LA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,852 in Lake Charles, LA. Conversely, $100K earned in Lake Charles, LA has the purchasing power of $116,480 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Lake Charles, LA?
Rents in Lake Charles, LA are indexed at 51.8, which is 48.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Lake Charles, LA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Lake Charles, LA's overall cost index changed by -4.6 points (from 90.5 to 85.9). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Lake Charles, LA?
The priciest category in Lake Charles, LA is goods at 93.7, 6.3% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 51.8, 48.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Lake Charles, LA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Jonesboro, Fort Smith, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Lake Charles, LA's 85.9.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.