Living in Lake Charles, LA
Small city in Louisiana
Lake Charles is a small city in Louisiana, home to about 82,000 people, with 152,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Lake Charles a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $211k and rents for $1,460 a month
- Low taxes: about $1,029 state income tax per resident, 0.34% property tax
- Strong healthcare: 1 top-rated (4–5★) hospital within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 152,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Fewer graduates: 29% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Lake Charles ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Lake Charles: common questions
What is the cost of living in Lake Charles?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $211k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,460 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 86, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Lake Charles?
Louisiana collects about $1,029 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.34% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Lake Charles safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.4× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Lake Charles?
Lake Charles is warm all year: winter days average around 65°F and summer days around 92°F.
Does Lake Charles get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from hurricanes and flooding: 14 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.79 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Lake Charles?
The nearest major airport is IAH, about 128 mi away.
How Lake Charles scores
Each bar compares Lake Charles with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Lake Charles right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.