Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Lawton's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Lawton?
Your $100,000 in Lawton has the same purchasing power as $128,353 in the average US city. You'd need $28,353 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Lawton's cost index of 78, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Lawton usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: a genuinely affordable place to land, daily errands don't require a car, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Cost of living lands at 78 on the composite index — about 22% under the US average. That's the kind of gap that shows up in the savings rate, not just the rent check. Median rent in town runs about $898/mo against a typical household income of $51,561, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Lawton earns a Walk Score of 71/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
Lawton's Bike Score is 65/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
Lawton's air quality index averages about 42 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Lawton is about 16 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Lawton's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is a regular feature, not a surprise. With winter temperatures hovering near 29°F, Lawton sees enough snowfall that locals don't think twice about it but also enough mild stretches that nobody owns three pairs of boots.
Cold but workable. Winter in Lawton averages about 29°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Lawton averages about 91°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
Zone 8, give or take a half-zone. Lawton's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 8 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Lawton is at about 1,145 feet (349 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Lawton's reported crime rate of about 3,017 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Lawton's composite cost-of-living index is 78, roughly 22% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Yes — Lawton is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 71/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $54,537 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Lawton runs about $898/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.