Alexandria vs Lake Charles leftover
Moving to Lake Charles costs you $184 a month
$2,389/mo leftover in Lake Charles vs $2,573 in Alexandria after tax and rent ($184 less). −$2,208 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Alexandria leftover
$2,573
a month after tax and rent
Lake Charles leftover
$2,389
−$184 vs Alexandria
Compare Alexandria to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Alexandria.
Monthly gap
Alexandria → Lake Charles
$184
less / month in Alexandria
$2,389 in Lake Charles · $2,573 in Alexandria · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 53 households moved Alexandria → Lake Charles (avg AGI $39,189). 46 went the other way. The whole move →
−$184 / mo
| Per month | Alexandria | Lake Charles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,667 | $6,947 | +$281 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,447 | $1,538 | +$92 |
| Take-home pay | $5,220 | $5,409 | +$189 |
| Rent | $803 | $1,149 | +$346 |
| Getting around | $539 | $566 | +$27 |
| Groceries | $360 | $360 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $405 | $405 | $0 |
| Utilities | $225 | $225 | $0 |
| Everything else | $315 | $315 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,573 | $2,389 | −$184 |
To break even in Lake Charles, you'd need to earn
$86,500
Household gross, versus $80,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Alexandria does now.
The tax difference alone
−$101
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.7% in Alexandria, 22.1% in Lake Charles.
More about Lake Charles
Alexandria, LA in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $956 and 226 sunny days; commutes average 24 minutes.
Lake Charles, LA in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,368 and 228 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Lake Charles on Lake Charles wages.
Lake Charles → Alexandria →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Lake Charles than Alexandria?
A one-bedroom is about $803 in Alexandria versus $1,149 in Lake Charles. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $184 a month lower in Lake Charles. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Lake Charles have state income tax?
Lake Charles is in Louisiana, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Alexandria to Lake Charles?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Louisiana tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Alexandria and Lake Charles moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.