Moving Costs in Lake Charles, LA
Two formulas cover every move out of Lake Charles. Under about 100 miles you pay for a crew's time: a two-bedroom home is $425 – $691 in our model. Beyond that you pay for weight and distance: $698 – $930 to Houston, TX. Every figure comes from the same published model as the calculator, not from any company.
Carrier counts from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Census, snapshot September 24, 2026. No paid placement.
- 2-bed local move
- $425 – $691
- 2 movers × 5–7 h + $75 travel
- 3-bed local move
- $705 – $1,263
- 3 movers × 6–9 h + travel
- 2-bed to Houston
- $698 – $930
- ≈ 155 miles, transport only
- Movers within 30 mi
- 0
- 0 with interstate authority
In short
A two-bedroom local move in Lake Charles runs $425 – $691 in our model and a three-bedroom $705 – $1,263, billed by the hour. Long distance, a two-bedroom move to Houston, TX is $698 – $930. The largest Census flow out of Calcasieu Parish goes to Jefferson Davis Parish, about 678 people a year.
What a move from Lake Charles costs
Local moves are crew × hours × an hourly rate; long-distance moves are weight × distance.
Local moves in Lake Charles: billed by the hour
A two-bedroom move in Lake Charles: 2 movers × 5–7 hours × $35–$44 an hour, plus $75 travel, is $425 – $691.
| Home | Crew | Hours | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 | 2–3 | $215 – $339 |
| 1 bedroom | 2 | 3–5 | $285 – $515 |
| 2 bedrooms | 2 | 5–7 | $425 – $691 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3 | 6–9 | $705 – $1,263 |
| 4 bedrooms | 4 | 8–10 | $1,195 – $1,835 |
| 5+ bedrooms | 4 | 10–12 | $1,475 – $2,187 |
Hourly rates are scaled to Louisiana: hand movers there earn a median $16.99 an hour against $19.35 nationally (BLS, May 2025), so the model's national $40–$50 band becomes $35–$44 per mover per hour.
Long distance from Lake Charles: priced by weight and miles
Full-service, transport only. From Lake Charles, Houston, TX is the nearest priced metro (≈ 155 mi) and Los Angeles, CA the farthest (≈ 1,731 mi); ≈ marks estimated miles.
| To | Miles | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | ≈ 1,513 | $6,809 – $9,078 | $7,830 – $10,440 |
| Los Angeles, CA | ≈ 1,731 | $7,790 – $10,386 | $8,958 – $11,944 |
| Chicago, IL | ≈ 1,008 | $4,536 – $6,048 | $5,216 – $6,955 |
| Dallas, TX | ≈ 322 | $1,449 – $1,932 | $1,666 – $2,222 |
| Houston, TX | ≈ 155 | $698 – $930 | $802 – $1,070 |
| Washington, DC | ≈ 1,279 | $5,756 – $7,674 | $6,619 – $8,825 |
| Miami, FL | ≈ 992 | $4,464 – $5,952 | $5,134 – $6,845 |
| Philadelphia, PA | ≈ 1,422 | $6,399 – $8,532 | $7,359 – $9,812 |
| Atlanta, GA | ≈ 667 | $3,002 – $4,002 | $3,452 – $4,602 |
| Phoenix, AZ | ≈ 1,316 | $5,922 – $7,896 | $6,810 – $9,080 |
Long-distance lanes from Lake Charles, by home size
| From Lake Charles to | Miles | Studio | 1 bedroom | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | ≈ 1,513 | $5,106 – $6,809 | $6,128 – $8,170 | $7,830 – $10,440 | $8,851 – $11,801 |
| Los Angeles, CA | ≈ 1,731 | $5,842 – $7,790 | $7,011 – $9,347 | $8,958 – $11,944 | $10,126 – $13,502 |
| Chicago, IL | ≈ 1,008 | $3,402 – $4,536 | $4,082 – $5,443 | $5,216 – $6,955 | $5,897 – $7,862 |
| Dallas, TX | ≈ 322 | $1,087 – $1,449 | $1,304 – $1,739 | $1,666 – $2,222 | $1,884 – $2,512 |
| Houston, TX | ≈ 155 | $523 – $698 | $628 – $837 | $802 – $1,070 | $907 – $1,209 |
| Washington, DC | ≈ 1,279 | $4,317 – $5,756 | $5,180 – $6,907 | $6,619 – $8,825 | $7,482 – $9,976 |
| Miami, FL | ≈ 992 | $3,348 – $4,464 | $4,018 – $5,357 | $5,134 – $6,845 | $5,803 – $7,738 |
| Philadelphia, PA | ≈ 1,422 | $4,799 – $6,399 | $5,759 – $7,679 | $7,359 – $9,812 | $8,319 – $11,092 |
| Atlanta, GA | ≈ 667 | $2,251 – $3,002 | $2,701 – $3,602 | $3,452 – $4,602 | $3,902 – $5,203 |
| Phoenix, AZ | ≈ 1,316 | $4,442 – $5,922 | $5,330 – $7,106 | $6,810 – $9,080 | $7,699 – $10,265 |
Distances marked ≈ are estimated. Full-service movers, transport only.
Licensed movers serving Lake Charles
No FMCSA-registered household-goods carrier is based within 30 miles of Lake Charles in our snapshot. The Louisiana movers page ranks the state's carriers by fleet; the nearest to you will travel, and the travel fee is a flat charge.
Who moves to and from Calcasieu Parish
Lake Charles sits in Calcasieu Parish, LA, home to about 200,431 people aged one and over. In the Census Bureau's 2016–2020 American Community Survey, about 3,227 (±789) people a year moved into the county from another state, about 816 (±655) from abroad and about 4,258 (±816) from elsewhere in Louisiana. Going the other way, the county-to-county estimates add up to roughly 3,572 a year leaving for another state.
| To | People a year | From Lake Charles | 2-bedroom move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Davis Parish, LA | 678 ±392 | — | — |
| East Baton Rouge Parish, LABaton Rouge moving costs | 639 ±267 | ≈ 142 mi to Baton Rouge | $639 – $852 |
| Rapides Parish, LAAlexandria moving costs | 502 ±280 | ≈ 102 mi to Alexandria | $459 – $612 |
| Beauregard Parish, LADeRidder moving costs | 447 ±203 | ≈ 52 mi to DeRidder | $425 – $691 |
| Harris County, TXHouston moving costs | 427 ±274 | ≈ 155 mi to Houston | $698 – $930 |
The largest groups of newcomers come from Harris County, TX (about 771), Caddo Parish, LA (about 673) and Beauregard Parish, LA (about 606). Across state lines, the largest flows out go to Texas (about 1,979), Florida (about 407) and Mississippi (about 163); the largest flows in come from Texas (about 1,402), Mississippi (about 400) and Kentucky (about 249).
US Census Bureau, ACS 2016–2020 county-to-county migration flows; people a year with a 90% margin of error. Miles are estimated from city coordinates; move prices are full-service, transport only, from the published model.
Nearby cost guides in Louisiana
Moving to or from Louisiana · Every priced route from Louisiana · New Orleans cost guide
Moving costs in Lake Charles: questions people ask
How much does it cost to hire movers in Lake Charles, LA?
A local move (under about 100 miles) is billed by the hour: $35–$44 per mover per hour plus about $75 travel in our model, so a two-bedroom home with two movers for 5–7 hours is $425 – $691 and a three-bedroom home with three movers is $705 – $1,263. Packing, stairs and long carries are extra.
How much is a long-distance move from Lake Charles?
Priced on weight and distance, about $5.00 per mile for a two-bedroom home in our model. From Lake Charles to Houston, TX (about 155 miles) that is $698 – $930, and to Los Angeles, CA (about 1,731 miles) $7,790 – $10,386, transport only.
Are there licensed movers in Lake Charles?
No FMCSA-registered household-goods carrier is based within 30 miles of Lake Charles in our September 24, 2026 snapshot; the Louisiana movers page lists the state's carriers by fleet.
Where do people from Calcasieu Parish move?
The largest flows out of the county go to Jefferson Davis Parish (about 678 a year), East Baton Rouge Parish (about 639 a year), Rapides Parish (about 502 a year), and roughly 3,572 people a year leave for another state, by the Census Bureau's 2016–2020 estimates. The table on this page prices a two-bedroom move to each destination.
What is the cheapest way to move out of Lake Charles?
For the same route and load, a moving container prices 28% below full-service movers and a freight trailer 52% below, because you do the loading. A rental truck is cheaper still on the transport line but adds fuel, lodging and your own days.
Sources. Costs from the published model; carriers from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Census (snapshot September 24, 2026) and Safety Measurement System; Census ACS migration flows.