Median rent is 12% lower in Lexington-Fayette ($1,164/mo vs $1,324/mo). Buying is cheaper in San Antonio, where the median home runs $235,700 versus $293,500. Households earn more in Lexington-Fayette ($69,479 vs $65,056 a year).
City A
Lexington-Fayette, KY
City B
San Antonio, TX
How much would you need to earn in San Antonio, TX 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
San Antonio
Texas
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 rent is modestly lower in Lexington-Fayette at $1,164/mo compared to $1,324/mo in San Antonio (12% gap). Median home values are within 20% of each other: $293,500 in Lexington-Fayette and $235,700 in San Antonio.
Metric
Lexington-Fayette
San Antonio
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
San Antonio
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Lexington-Fayette has cleaner air on average: 24.0 AQI (Good) compared to 71.0 AQI (Moderate) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Lexington-Fayette if you prioritize higher median household income ($69,479/yr).
Pick Lexington-Fayette if you prioritize cheaper rent ($1,164/mo median).
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 $1,324/mo in San Antonio, TX. Lexington-Fayette, KY has the lower rent by about 12%.
Median household income is $69,479 in Lexington-Fayette, KY and $65,056 in San Antonio, TX. 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 71.0 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
