Median rent is 4% lower in Louisville/Jefferson County ($1,120/mo vs $1,164/mo). Buying is cheaper in Louisville/Jefferson County, where the median home runs $233,900 versus $293,500. Households earn more in Lexington-Fayette ($69,479 vs $66,849 a year).
City A
Lexington-Fayette, KY
City B
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
How much would you need to earn in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY to maintain your standard of living from Lexington-Fayette, KY?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Lexington-Fayette
Kentucky
Louisville/Jefferson County
Kentucky
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rents are similar in both cities: $1,164/mo in Lexington-Fayette and $1,120/mo in Louisville/Jefferson County. Median home values are within 20% of each other: $293,500 in Lexington-Fayette and $233,900 in Louisville/Jefferson County.
Metric
Lexington-Fayette
Louisville/Jefferson County
Software Developer
Registered Nurse
Elementary Teacher
Electrician
Accountant
Higher wage highlighted · BLS OEWS 2023 (metro-level data)
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Lexington-Fayette
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Louisville/Jefferson County
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Lexington-Fayette has cleaner air on average: 24.0 AQI (Good) compared to 32.0 AQI (Good) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Lexington-Fayette if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 24.0).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,164/mo in Lexington-Fayette, KY and $1,120/mo in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY has the lower rent by about 4%.
Median household income is $69,479 in Lexington-Fayette, KY and $66,849 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY. Lexington-Fayette, KY has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Lexington-Fayette, KY has better air quality on average: 24.0 AQI versus 32.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: June 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
