Lake Charles vs Metairie
The short version
- Lake Charles is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Metairie area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $214,300 in Lake Charles and $327,500 in Metairie.
- Households earn more in Metairie ($73,042 vs $59,235 median).
- Metairie is growing faster: +0% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Lake Charles (17 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Lake Charles, LA | Metairie, LA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 82,676 | 139,729 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.7% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 1,742 | 6,033 |
| Median age | 36.6 | 41.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $59,235 | $73,042 |
| Median home value | $214,300 | $327,500 |
| Home value to income | 3.6× | 4.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,109 | $1,175 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 85.9 | 92.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 51.8 | 86.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $64,400 | $69,400 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 62% |
| Top state income tax | 3% | 3% |
| Combined sales tax | 10.13% | 10.13% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.0 | 21.7 |
| Work from home | 5% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.6% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 23.3% | 12.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 43° | 63° / 46° |
| July high / low | 92° / 76° | 91° / 77° |
| Precipitation per year | 60 in | 63 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 88 | 85 |
| Nights below freezing | 11 | 5 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.7 | 98.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 62% | 52% |
| Home prices, past year | +7.7% | +2.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +17.6% | +13.9% |
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. Metairie: February to March and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Lake Charles weather by month and Metairie 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 $69,400 in Metairie. Moving from Lake Charles to Metairie, you would need about $80,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lake Charles and Metairie
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Lake Charles and Metairie.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.