Fargo vs Lake Charles leftover
Moving to Lake Charles costs you $807 a month
$2,383/mo leftover in Lake Charles vs $3,190 in Fargo after tax and rent ($807 less). −$9,684 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Fargo leftover
$3,190
a month after tax and rent
Lake Charles leftover
$2,383
−$807 vs Fargo
Compare Fargo to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Fargo.
Monthly gap
Fargo → Lake Charles
$807
less / month in Fargo
$2,383 in Lake Charles · $3,190 in Fargo · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$807 / mo
| Per month | Fargo | Lake Charles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,375 | $6,939 | −$436 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,529 | $1,535 | +$6 |
| Take-home pay | $5,846 | $5,403 | −$442 |
| Rent | $885 | $1,149 | +$264 |
| Getting around | $505 | $566 | +$61 |
| Groceries | $349 | $360 | +$11 |
| Healthcare | $393 | $405 | +$12 |
| Utilities | $218 | $225 | +$7 |
| Everything else | $306 | $315 | +$9 |
| Left over | $3,190 | $2,383 | −$807 |
To break even in Lake Charles, you'd need to earn
$97,500
Household gross, versus $88,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Fargo does now.
The tax difference alone
−$1,627
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.7% in Fargo, 22.1% in Lake Charles.
More about Lake Charles
Fargo, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,054 and 193 sunny days; commutes average 18 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 → Fargo →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Lake Charles than Fargo?
A one-bedroom is about $885 in Fargo versus $1,149 in Lake Charles. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $807 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 Fargo 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 Fargo 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.