Cost of Living in Kentucky
What it costs to live in Kentucky, how much tax you'll pay, and what common jobs keep after rent and everyday costs.
- Population
- 4,588,372
- Median household income
- $64,526
- State income tax
- Flat 3.5%
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 90.2
What a typical paycheck keeps in Kentucky
The typical Kentucky worker earns $46,920 (BLS). After taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, $10,362 is left. Pick a city for local rents and pay.
- Typical salary
- $46,920
- Federal income tax
- −$3,450
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,589
- State income tax
- −$1,525
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$11,352
- Everyday costs
- −$16,642
a year, or $864 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS statewide median. Rent: HUD FY2027, population-weighted across Kentucky.
Cost of living in Kentucky
Prices across Kentucky run 10% below the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Housing36% below the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)4% below the US average
- Utilities25% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)3% below the US average
- All items10% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $946 | $11,352 |
| Food | $474 | $5,688 |
| Transportation | $375 | $4,500 |
| Healthcare | $342 | $4,104 |
| Utilities | $196 | $2,352 |
| Total before taxes | $2,333 | $27,996 |
Rent is the statewide average of county fair market rents, weighted by population. City rents differ.
Kentucky taxes
State income tax, single filer (2026)
| Taxable income over | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 3.5% |
City and county occupational license taxes are in the local tax table.
Taxes on the median household income
$64,526 of wages, one single filer (Census 2024 median).
| Federal income tax | −$5,563 |
| Payroll taxes | −$4,936 |
| State income tax | −$2,141 |
| Effective tax rate | 19.6% |
Cities in Kentucky
What a typical worker keeps after taxes, rent and everyday costs in each Kentucky city we cover.
What common jobs keep in Kentucky
The 15 jobs that keep the most: statewide median pay, and what's left after taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacist | $136,530 | $71,929 |
| Dentist | $134,160 | $70,393 |
| Nurse practitioner | $122,870 | $63,070 |
| Physician assistant | $120,760 | $61,682 |
| Software engineer | $109,010 | $53,827 |
| Veterinarian | $104,100 | $50,544 |
| Lawyer | $101,550 | $48,839 |
| Mechanical engineer | $101,050 | $48,506 |
| Civil engineer | $100,930 | $48,425 |
| Physical therapist | $100,710 | $48,279 |
| Occupational therapist | $97,650 | $46,233 |
| Data scientist | $91,760 | $42,295 |
| Speech-language pathologist | $83,550 | $36,806 |
| Project manager | $81,700 | $35,570 |
| Financial analyst | $81,660 | $35,543 |
Salary pages in Kentucky, A–Z
Pay range, what’s kept and the best cities for each job.
- Accountant
- Auto mechanic
- Carpenter
- Civil engineer
- Data scientist
- Dental assistant
- Dental hygienist
- Dentist
- Diesel mechanic
- Electrician
- Financial analyst
- Firefighter
- HVAC technician
- Lawyer
- Licensed practical nurse
- Lineman
- Mechanical engineer
- Medical assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing assistant
- Occupational therapist
- Paralegal
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy technician
- Physical therapist
- Physician assistant
- Plumber
- Police officer
- Project manager
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker
- Software engineer
- Speech-language pathologist
- Teacher
- Truck driver
- Veterinarian
- Welder
Top-paying jobs in Kentucky
Median pay, jobs with at least 1,000 workers (BLS OEWS). Linked jobs have a salary page.
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $350,950 |
| Anesthesiologists | $347,960 |
| Physicians, All Other | $327,390 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $248,730 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $241,530 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $222,520 |
| Chief Executives | $179,530 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $147,680 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $140,360 |
| Pharmacists | $136,530 |
| Financial Managers | $130,650 |
| Marketing Managers | $128,930 |
| Sales Managers | $128,650 |
| Managers, All Other | $122,930 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $122,870 |
Living in Kentucky
Kentucky against the US (Census Bureau, ACS 2024).
| Measure | Kentucky | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $226,000 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $998 | $1,487 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 15.6% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 27.9% | 36.9% |
| Average commute, one way | 24.5 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 9.5% | 13.3% |
Nearby states
Compare Kentucky with another state or city: what a job keeps in each, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the cost of living in Kentucky?
Prices in Kentucky are 10% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The statewide fair market rent for a 1-bedroom is $946 a month (HUD, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person come to about $1,387 a month.
Does Kentucky have a state income tax?
Yes. Kentucky's income tax rate is flat 3.5%. On a typical wage of $46,920, a single filer pays about $1,525 a year in state income tax.
How much do you need to earn to live in Kentucky?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom at the statewide fair market rent needs about $33,500 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs. The typical worker in Kentucky earns $46,920 and keeps $10,362 after those costs.
Where in Kentucky does a paycheck go furthest?
Of the Kentucky cities we cover, a typical worker keeps the most in Louisville ($7,910 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs) and the least in Lexington ($6,165).
What jobs pay the most in Kentucky?
Among jobs with at least 1,000 workers, the highest median pay in Kentucky goes to Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($350,950); Anesthesiologists ($347,960); Physicians, All Other ($327,390) (BLS OEWS).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
- HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate