Lake Charles composite
56.7 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Lake Charles vs Monroe
Lake Charles, LA and Monroe, LA side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 56.7
- Lake Charles Life Score
- B+
- Lake Charles grade
- 63.5
- Monroe Life Score
- A
- Monroe grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Lake Charles scores higher on 3 (wages, safety, childcare) and Monroe on 4 (cost of living, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Lake Charles vs Monroe across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Lake Charles Monroe ◗
cost of living
96
100
wages
9
5
rent
62
100
safety
27
27
schools
90
90
childcare
85
84
environment
49
61
Lake Charles and Monroe differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Lake Charles has a cost-of-living index of 85.9 vs Monroe's 83.6 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $58,097 in Lake Charles and $54,218 in Monroe. A 2-bedroom averages $1,217/mo vs $834/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Lake Charles vs Monroe Comparison
Lake Charles (LA) and Monroe (LA) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 85.9 for Lake Charles against 83.6 for Monroe, a 2.3-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,217/mo in Lake Charles and $834/mo in Monroe, a $383/mo difference that compounds to $4,596 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $58,097 across 93,170 jobs in Lake Charles against $54,218 across 79,300 jobs in Monroe. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Lake Charles carries the same local purchasing power as $97,373 in Monroe - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 410.0 per 100,000 residents in LA vs 410.0 in LA, with property-crime rates of 1772.7 and 1772.7 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: LA lists 1,330 public schools at a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio, while LA lists 1,330 schools at 16.8:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $7,396/yr in the Lake Charles area versus $7,396/yr in Monroe - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Lake Charles and Monroe are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Monroe composite
63.5 /100
Grade A · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
2.3 pts
Lake Charles vs Monroe BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$383 /mo
Lake Charles priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Lake Charles
Lake Charles composite (Grade B+)
Monroe
Monroe composite (Grade A)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Lake Charles | Monroe |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 85.9 | 83.6 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 93.7 |
| Services | 71.7 | 72.2 |
| Rents | 51.8 | 42.8 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Monroe gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Lake Charles?
$
Equivalent in Monroe:
$97,373
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Lake Charles: 85.9, Monroe: 83.6, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Lake Charles | Monroe |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $921/mo | $631/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $928/mo | $636/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,217/mo | $834/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,459/mo | $1,143/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,611/mo | $1,172/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Lake Charles | Monroe |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $58,097 | $54,218 |
| Total Employment | 93,170 | 79,300 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Lake Charles (LA) | Monroe (LA) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 410.0 | 410.0 |
| Property Crime | 1772.7 | 1772.7 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | LA | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,330 | 1,330 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 16.8:1 | 16.8:1 |
| Charter Schools | 11.3% | 11.3% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | LA | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $7,396/yr | $7,396/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $7,237/yr | $7,237/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $7,111/yr | $7,111/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | LA | LA |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 467 | 467 |
| Water Systems | 835 | 835 |
| Superfund Sites | 29 | 29 |
| Water Violations | 13,618 | 13,618 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Lake Charles | Monroe |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 49.0 | 41.0 |
| Good Air Days | 53.0% | 79.8% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 4 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | LA | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 10/100 | 10/100 |
| Total Violations | 115,060 | 115,060 |
| Health-Based Violations | 62,164 | 62,164 |
| Systems with Violations | 92.5% | 92.5% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | LA | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 507 | 507 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | LA | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 47/100 | 47/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 62.4 | 62.4 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 56.8 | 56.8 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lake Charles more expensive than Monroe? ▼
Lake Charles has a cost of living index of 85.9 compared to Monroe's 83.6 (national average = 100). Lake Charles is 2.3 points above Monroe on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Lake Charles and Monroe? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,217/mo in Lake Charles vs $834/mo in Monroe, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $921/mo to $631/mo.
How do salaries compare between Lake Charles and Monroe? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $58,097 in Lake Charles and $54,218 in Monroe, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Lake Charles has the same purchasing power as $97,373 in Monroe.
Is Lake Charles or Monroe safer? ▼
At the state level, LA has a violent crime rate of 410.0 per 100,000 residents compared to LA's 410.0 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1772.7 vs 1772.7 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Lake Charles and Monroe? ▼
LA has 1,330 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 16.8:1, while LA has 1,330 schools at 16.8:1. Charter schools make up 11.3% of LA schools vs 11.3% in LA. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
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Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial