Lake Charles vs McAllen
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $190,400 in McAllen and $214,300 in Lake Charles.
- McAllen has the warmer winter: January highs of 73°F vs 63°F.
- McAllen has more scorching days: 177 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 88.
- McAllen is growing faster: +5.9% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Lake Charles (17 vs 22 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Louisiana's top rate is 3%.
Side by side
| Lake Charles, LA | McAllen, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 82,676 | 150,640 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.7% | +5.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,742 | 2,415 |
| Median age | 36.6 | 33.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29% | 33% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $59,235 | $61,579 |
| Median home value | $214,300 | $190,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.6× | 3.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,109 | $1,049 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 85.9 | 85.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 51.8 | 55.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $64,400 | $64,400 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 60% |
| Top state income tax | 3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 10.13% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.0 | 21.9 |
| Work from home | 5% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.6% | 6% |
| Poverty rate | 23.3% | 20% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 43° | 73° / 53° |
| July high / low | 92° / 76° | 99° / 79° |
| Precipitation per year | 60 in | 22 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 88 | 177 |
| Nights below freezing | 11 | 1 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.7 | 99.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 62% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | +7.7% | +7.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +17.6% | +54.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Lake Charles: February to April and November. McAllen: November to March.
Full monthly tables: Lake Charles weather by month and McAllen weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $64,400 in Lake Charles and $64,400 in McAllen. Moving from Lake Charles to McAllen, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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