Is Joplin cheaper than Lake Charles?

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

Which has higher household income, Joplin or Lake Charles?

Lake Charles has the higher median household income — $65,144 versus $62,796 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Joplin or Lake Charles?

A paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $75,879 there versus $73,259 in Joplin.

Which has cheaper rent, Joplin or Lake Charles?

Rents are close — $1,001/mo in the Joplin metro versus $977/mo in Lake Charles (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Joplin vs Lake Charles

Metro-area medians — Joplin, MO-KS Metro Area vs Lake Charles, LA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Joplin comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Joplin and Lake Charles cost about the same to live in, but Lake Charles households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles.

Their widest everyday difference: Joplin has the tighter job market — 4.7% 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

Joplin, MO

$58,705

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$68,486

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, Lake Charles leaves you about $748/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

Joplin

Lake Charles

Livability (CityLedger)

38/100

34/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

85.7

85.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$73,259

$75,879

Median household income

$62,796

$65,144

Median rent

$1,001/mo

$977/mo

Median home value

$184,500

$213,100

Unemployment

4.7%

6.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

24.2%

22.2%

Average commute

20.8 min

23.2 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

58°F

70°F

Choose Joplin for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Joplin profile →

Choose Lake Charles for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income

Full Lake Charles profile →

More comparisons

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

Joplin vs Fort Smith→Joplin vs Florence→Joplin vs Alexandria→Lake Charles vs Fort Smith→Lake Charles vs Florence→Lake Charles vs Monroe→

Joplin vs Lake Charles — frequently asked

Is Joplin cheaper than Lake Charles?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Joplin and Lake Charles metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Joplin or Lake Charles?: Lake Charles has the higher median household income — $65,144 versus $62,796 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Joplin or Lake Charles?: A paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $75,879 there versus $73,259 in Joplin.
Which has cheaper rent, Joplin or Lake Charles?: Rents are close — $1,001/mo in the Joplin metro versus $977/mo in Lake Charles (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).