Cost of living in Louisville research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Louisville is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Kentucky, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Louisville is 95, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Louisville is 0.9x lower than the national average.
Louisville ranks as the #60 cheapest in Kentucky out of 85.
Louisville ranks as the #2,449 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Louisville is $174,400.
The median income in Louisville is $58,357.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Louisville has an overall cost of living index of 95, which is 0.9x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Kentucky, Louisville has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Kentucky's index of 94.
The standard of living in Louisville ranks as #60 most affordable out of the 85 places we measured in Kentucky. By definition, that implies Louisville ranks as the #25 most expensive place in the Bluegrass State.
For more reading on life in Louisville, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Louisville. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Louisville is 103.
The Groceries index in Louisville is 91.
The Health index in Louisville is 95.
The Housing index in Louisville is 79.
The Transportation index in Louisville is 103.
The Utilities index in Louisville is 94.
Living Expense | Louisville | Kentucky | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 95 | 94 | 100 | |
Services | 103 | 105 | 100 | |
Groceries | 91 | 97 | 100 | |
Health | 95 | 79 | 100 | |
Housing | 79 | 75 | 100 | |
Transportation | 103 | 102 | 100 | |
Utilities | 94 | 106 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Kentucky, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Louisville is $174,400.
The Median Rent in Louisville is $931.
The Median Income in Louisville is $58,357.
The Home Value To Income in Louisville is 3.0x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Louisville is 0.19x.
Statistic | Louisville | Kentucky | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $174,400 | $155,100 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $931 | $826 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $58,357 | $55,454 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.0x | 2.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.19x | 0.18x | 0.2x |
Item | Louisville | Kentucky |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $0.94 | $1.06 |
Movie | $12.1 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $18.55 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $15.0 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $49.58 | $39.05 |
Item | Louisville | Kentucky |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.91 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.09 | $1.39 |
Milk | $1.15 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.99 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $10.33 | $10.62 |
Beer | $8.99 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.56 | $2.34 |
Item | Louisville | Kentucky |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $71.56 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $133.98 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $82.89 | $99.13 |
Item | Louisville | Kentucky |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.28 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $51.83 | $50.07 |
Item | Louisville | Kentucky |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $157.62 | $167.67 |
Phone | $180.81 | $175.64 |