Useful for screening
Population, income, rent and home-value medians provide a consistent first comparison across markets.
Lake Charles,
rental market profile.
The typical rent in Lake Charles, LA is $1,329 a month, up 19.2% from a year earlier. The typical home is worth $206,813, up 2.1% from a year earlier.
Current market, September 2026.
Typical home value$206,813+2.1% vs. a year earlier
Typical rent$1,329+19.2% vs. a year earlier
Gross rent-to-value7.71%annual rent ÷ value
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-bed$1,231FY2027 · second-source check
Estimated annual property tax$7470.36% effective rate (ACS)
Data: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), September 2026; smoothed and seasonally adjusted. Typical values sit in the middle of the local market; rent covers houses and apartments. Updated monthly. Second source: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent for Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area (40th-percentile gross rent, including utilities).
Five-year trend in Lake Charles.
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical rent |
|---|---|
| Sep 2021 | $1,213 |
| Sep 2022 | $1,047 |
| Sep 2023 | $1,059 |
| Sep 2024 | $1,088 |
| Sep 2025 | $1,115 |
| Sep 2026 | $1,329 |
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical home value |
|---|---|
| Sep 2021 | $213,401 |
| Sep 2022 | $220,876 |
| Sep 2023 | $206,318 |
| Sep 2024 | $197,895 |
| Sep 2025 | $202,625 |
| Sep 2026 | $206,813 |
Monthly Zillow Observed Rent Index and Home Value Index, smoothed and seasonally adjusted. Each chart has its own scale, which does not start at zero, so small changes are visible.
Rent by number of bedrooms.
HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents for Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area: the 40th-percentile gross rent, utilities included, for the whole area. Rents inside Lake Charles can be higher or lower. Source: HUD Fair Market Rents.
Census profile, 2020–2024: population, income and long-run medians
Population81.1KACS estimate
Median household income$59,235annual
Median gross rent$1,109monthly
Median home value$214,300owner-occupied
Median property tax$774annual · owner-occupied
Effective tax reference0.36%median tax ÷ median value
State HO-3 premium$3,0272023 homeowner reference
Housing vacancy21.3%all housing units
Gross rent-to-value6.21%annual rent ÷ home value
Rent-to-income reference22.5%annual rent ÷ income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates. Estimates cover 2020–2024. Insurance context: NAIC 2023 Homeowners Insurance Report. Ratios are derived from area medians and are not a property cap rate, affordability decision, insurance quote or expected return.
How Lake Charles compares.
Lake Charles’s median gross rent is 4.2% above the Louisiana median, while its median owner-occupied home value is 1.0% below the state reference. Median household income is 2.5% below the statewide estimate.
The gross rent-to-value reference is 6.21%. It simply annualizes the area’s median gross rent and divides it by the area’s median home value. It does not subtract vacancy, taxes, insurance, maintenance, management, financing or capital reserves.
| Metric | CityLake Charles | StateLouisiana | CountryUnited States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,109 | $1,064 | $1,413 |
| Median home value | $214,300 | $216,500 | $332,700 |
| Household income | $59,235 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Median annual property tax | $774 | $1,180 | $3,119 |
| Housing vacancy | 21.3% | 14.4% | 10.1% |
| Rent vs baseline | — | +4.2% | -21.5% |
Test a Lake Charles baseline.
Load the area medians for purchase price, rent and annual property tax, then replace every assumption with property-specific figures and current quotes.
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Check the rent for a specific Lake Charles address.
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What this profile can—and cannot—tell you.
Use area data to compare markets before researching a specific address.
Property facts still matter
Verify achievable rent, taxes, insurance, condition, financing and local rules for the exact property.
Vacancy needs context
The ACS figure covers all housing units. It is not the vacancy allowance to enter in rental underwriting.
Questions about Lake Charles.
What is the average rent in Lake Charles, LA?
The typical asking rent in Lake Charles, LA is $1,329 a month, according to Zillow's Observed Rent Index for September 2026, which covers houses and apartments. The Census Bureau's median gross rent for 2020–2024, which includes utilities and long-standing leases, is $1,109. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom home in the area is $1,231.
Is rent going up or down in Lake Charles?
Rent is rising. The typical rent is $1,329, up 19.2% from $1,115 a year earlier.
How much does a house cost in Lake Charles?
The typical home in Lake Charles, LA is worth $206,813, according to Zillow's Home Value Index for September 2026, up 2.1% from a year earlier.
What is the property tax rate in Lake Charles?
The effective property tax rate is about 0.36% of home value, based on Census data, or roughly $747 a year on the typical home. Actual bills depend on the assessment and any exemptions.
Is Lake Charles a good place to invest in rental property?
It depends on the property. As a first screen, a year of typical rent in Lake Charles equals 7.71% of the typical home value. Higher ratios leave more room for expenses and a mortgage; the 1% rule looks for about 12% a year. Test a specific property in the rental property calculator before you decide.