Louisville vs. Lexington
Louisville, KY · Lexington, KY
Louisville is 3% cheaper than Lexington overall.
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Home Price
KY: $235,000
KY: $265,000
Monthly Rent
KY: $895/mo
KY: $925/mo
COL Index
KY: 87
KY: 90
Median Income
KY: $59,600
KY: $61,200
Side-by-Side Comparison
Median Home Price
Monthly Rent (Median)
Median Household Income
Property Tax Rate
Cost of Living Index
100 = national average
Avg. Commute
Unemployment Rate
Median Age
What This Means For You
Headline insight
Buying Power
A $100,000 salary in Louisville has the same purchasing power as $103,448 in Lexington— based on each city's cost of living index.
Housing
Homes in Lexington are 13% cheaper (-$30,000 less). That's a meaningful down-payment and monthly-payment difference.
Renting
Renting in Louisville saves $30/month — $360 per year. Median rent: $895/mo in Louisville vs $925/mo in Lexington.
Property Taxes
On a median-priced home, Louisville owners pay roughly $1,951/year vs $2,200/year in Lexington. Rates are comparable.
Local Earnings
Median household income is $59,600 in Louisville and $61,200 in Lexington. Incomes are similar, so cost of living differences matter more.
Daily Commute
Average commute is 23 minutes in Louisville vs 22 minutes in Lexington. Commute times are nearly identical.
Salary Equivalence
To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Louisville to Lexington, here's the salary you'd need:
| Salary in Louisville | Equivalent in Lexington | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,724 | +$1,724 |
| $75,000 | $77,586 | +$2,586 |
| $100,000 | $103,448 | +$3,448 |
| $150,000 | $155,172 | +$5,172 |
| $200,000 | $206,897 | +$6,897 |
* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.
Run the Numbers
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Rent vs Buy
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Cost of Living
Full cost of living comparison tool
Home Appreciation
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Affordability Calculator
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Property Tax Calculator
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Louisville Calculators
Lexington Calculators
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Louisville vs Lexington: Common Questions
Is Louisville or Lexington cheaper to live in?
Based on cost of living indices, Louisville is cheaper overall. Louisville has a COL index of 87 while Lexington scores 90 (national average = 100).
How do home prices compare between Louisville and Lexington?
The median home price in Louisville is $235,000 vs $265,000 in Lexington — a difference of $30,000 (13%).
What salary do I need in Lexington to match my Louisville income?
Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Louisville is equivalent to $103,448 in Lexington in terms of purchasing power.
Which city has lower property taxes?
Lexington has a lower property tax rate (0.83% vs 0.83%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $1,951/year vs $2,200/year.
How does rent compare in Louisville vs Lexington?
Median monthly rent: $895 in Louisville vs $925 in Lexington. Annualized: $10,740 vs $11,100.
What is the median household income in each city?
Louisville: $59,600/yr. Lexington: $61,200/yr (Census ACS).
Which city is better for remote workers?
Lower-cost Louisville typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.
Where does the data on this comparison come from?
Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.
How often is this comparison updated?
Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.
Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?
No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.
Sources & Citations
- Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
- Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
- Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions
City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].
The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.
Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.
Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.
Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.
Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.
Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed .