Most of Lake Charles is in Calcasieu Parish, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $26.88 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 11 ZIP codes in Lake Charles with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $840 to $1,120 a month. At the middle rent, $930, a full-time job would need to pay $28.33 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70601 | Calcasieu Parish | $840/mo | $25.42/hr |
| 70602 | Calcasieu Parish | $930/mo | $28.33/hr |
| 70605 | Calcasieu Parish | $1,120/mo | $34.48/hr |
| 70606 | Calcasieu Parish | $930/mo | $28.33/hr |
| 70607 | Calcasieu Parish | $900/mo | $27.36/hr |
| 70609 | Calcasieu Parish | $1,010/mo | $30.92/hr |
| 70611 | Calcasieu Parish | $1,060/mo | $32.53/hr |
| 70612 | Calcasieu Parish | $930/mo | $28.33/hr |
| 70615 | Calcasieu Parish | $920/mo | $28.01/hr |
| 70616 | Calcasieu Parish | $930/mo | $28.33/hr |
| 70629 | Calcasieu Parish | $930/mo | $28.33/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Lake Charles needs to pay at least $26.88 an hour before taxes, about $55,903 a year. That is the figure for Calcasieu Parish, where the typical studio rent is $885 a month.
Yes. Across the 11 ZIP codes in Lake Charles with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $840 to $1,120 a month. At the middle rent of $930, the pay needed would be $28.33 an hour.
The minimum wage in Calcasieu Parish is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 3.7 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads