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Lake Charles vs Terre Haute

Metro-area medians — Lake Charles, LA Metro Area vs Terre Haute, IN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Terre Haute comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Lake Charles and Terre Haute cost about the same to live in, but Lake Charles households earn about 10% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles.

Their widest everyday difference: Terre Haute has the tighter job market — 4.4% 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.

Lake Charles, LA
$59,439
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$69,234
real value after local prices
Terre Haute, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$67,273
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Lake Charles leaves you about $1,961/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
Lake Charles
Terre Haute
Livability (CityLedger)
34/100
32/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
85.9
87.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$75,879
$67,439
Median household income
$65,144
$59,209
Median rent
$977/mo
$893/mo
Median home value
$213,100
$155,600
Unemployment
6.4%
4.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher
22.2%
24.2%
Average commute
23.2 min
24 min
Air quality (median AQI)
49
47
Avg temperature
70°F
54°F

Choose Lake Charles for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Average commute
Full Lake Charles profile →

Choose Terre Haute for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Terre Haute profile →

More comparisons

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

Lake Charles vs Fort Smith→Lake Charles vs Florence→Lake Charles vs Monroe→Terre Haute vs Rocky Mount→Terre Haute vs Alexandria→Terre Haute vs Florence→

Lake Charles vs Terre Haute — frequently asked

Is Lake Charles cheaper than Terre Haute?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Lake Charles and Terre Haute metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Lake Charles or Terre Haute?
Lake Charles has the higher median household income — $65,144 versus $59,209 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 10% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Lake Charles or Terre Haute?
A paycheck stretches further in Lake Charles. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $75,879 there versus $67,439 in Terre Haute.
Which has cheaper rent, Lake Charles or Terre Haute?
Terre Haute has cheaper rent — a median of $893/mo versus $977/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).