Is Houma cheaper than Lake Charles?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Houma and Lake Charles metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Houma or Lake Charles?

Lake Charles has the higher median household income — $65,144 versus $62,338 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Houma or Lake Charles?

A paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $75,879 there versus $73,250 in Houma.

Which has cheaper rent, Houma or Lake Charles?

Rents are close — $980/mo in the Houma metro versus $977/mo in Lake Charles (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Houma vs Lake Charles

Metro-area medians — Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA Metro Area vs Lake Charles, LA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Lake Charles comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Houma and Lake Charles cost about the same to live in, but Lake Charles households earn about 5% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles.

Their widest everyday difference: Houma has the tighter job market — 3.5% unemployment versus 6.4%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Houma, LA

$59,439

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$69,843

real value after local prices

Lake Charles, LA

$59,439

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$69,234

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Houma leaves you about $609/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Houma

Lake Charles

Livability (CityLedger)

38/100

34/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

85.1

85.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$73,250

$75,879

Median household income

$62,338

$65,144

Median rent

$980/mo

$977/mo

Median home value

$192,000

$213,100

Unemployment

3.5%

6.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

20.3%

22.2%

Average commute

27.2 min

23.2 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

70°F

Choose Houma for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment

Full Houma profile →

Choose Lake Charles for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Lake Charles profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Houma and Lake Charles on cost, income, size, and education.

Houma vs Decatur→Houma vs Macon→Houma vs Huntington→Lake Charles vs Fort Smith→Lake Charles vs Florence→Lake Charles vs Monroe→

Houma vs Lake Charles — frequently asked

Is Houma cheaper than Lake Charles?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Houma and Lake Charles metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Houma or Lake Charles?: Lake Charles has the higher median household income — $65,144 versus $62,338 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Houma or Lake Charles?: A paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $75,879 there versus $73,250 in Houma.
Which has cheaper rent, Houma or Lake Charles?: Rents are close — $980/mo in the Houma metro versus $977/mo in Lake Charles (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).