Kentucky Cost of Living & Economic Score
Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis data on price levels, real income, and household-budget impact for Kentucky. Last updated 2024.
InflationRank Score
Cost of living in Kentucky
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, prices in Kentucky run 12.0% below the U.S. average (Regional Price Parity index 88.0 on a base of 100). The state sits in the South region. That puts it among the more affordable states in the country — in the bottom tier nationally for cost of living.
Real per-capita personal income — what local residents actually earn after adjusting for cost of living — is $50.0K (vs $59K nationally). Locals have somewhat lower real purchasing power than the U.S. average, even after accounting for the state's cheaper or comparable price level.
Notable cost factors: state-and-local taxes are roughly in line with the U.S. average.
Explore Kentucky in the live dashboard →Major metros in Kentucky
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY RPP 91.0 B-
Compare to other states
About the InflationRank Score
The InflationRank Score is a proprietary 0–100 composite that summarizes a place's cost-of-living and economic conditions on a familiar A–F grading scale. Higher scores reflect a better cost-of-living-adjusted economic situation.
The composite weighs three dimensions sourced from federal government datasets: cost level (how local prices compare to the national average), inflation pressure (recent direction and pace of cost movements), and income resilience (real, cost-adjusted earning power of local residents). The score is anchored to the U.S. national average and reviewed annually as federal data refreshes.
Underlying data is drawn from authoritative federal economic agencies and public housing datasets. See full data sources →