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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Kentucky beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Louisville stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,352/month and household income of $64,731. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Kentucky beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Louisville stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,352/month and household income of $64,731. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The healthcare sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 99 (the top-10 average here) means healthcare costs are about 1% below the national median. Louisville leads at 96, followed by Lexington (102) and Lexington (102). Note: a low healthcare index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
What does daily life actually cost in Louisville? Start with the 25% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 84) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 96) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $64,731 and homes at $259,139 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Bottom line: Louisville leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
#1 Ranked: Louisville — cost index 94, rent $1,352/mo, income $64,731
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Healthcare Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville | 96 | 94 | $1,352 | Details |
| 2 | Lexington | 102 | 98 | $1,487 | Details |
622,981 residents · Kentucky
A closer look at Louisville: the cost index of 94 breaks down to a Housing index of 84 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 96 (weakest). Median rent is $1,352/month — 29% below the national median — while household income sits at $64,731, meaning locals spend about 25% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
320,154 residents · Kentucky
Here's Lexington by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 98. Rent: $1,487/month. Income: $67,631/year. Home price: $322,743. Population: 320,154. The strongest category is Utilities at 91; the most expensive is Healthcare at 102. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,896 per year vs. the national median. This is where the math gets real for actual people.
Cities are ranked by their healthcare cost sub-index within Kentucky. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Louisville ranks #1 in Kentucky for this analysis with a cost index of 94 and median income of $64,731.
Louisville, KY has the lowest healthcare index at 96, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Louisville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,352/mo, while Lexington (ranked #2) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,487/mo — a 4-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Louisville is $1,352/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $543 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Louisville is $259,139, which is 4.0× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Kentucky has a 4% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.78%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.