Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Kentucky Cost of Living Summary
United States is 18.4% more expensive than Kentucky.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.6% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 17.0% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 23.6% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 27.7% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 10.6% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.5% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 10.0% more in United States
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, groceries, restaurants, and childcare in United States are more expensive than in Kentucky.
United States vs. Kentucky Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Kentucky, you would:
pay 14.6% more for restaurants
|
Kentucky
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.82
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.59
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.27
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$2.00
|
|
Kentucky vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.0% more for groceries
|
Kentucky
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.62
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.43
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.14
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.82
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$1.38
|
|
Kentucky vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 23.6% more for transportation
|
Kentucky
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.17
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,897.72
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.64
|
$17.61
|
|
Kentucky vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 27.7% more for housing
|
Kentucky
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.19
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,095.19
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$954.16
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$143.50
|
$150.19
|
|
Kentucky vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 10.6% more for childcare
|
Kentucky
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,283.80
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,534.67
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Kentucky vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 25.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kentucky
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.88
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.94
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.93
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.21
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.61
|
$13.64
|
|
Kentucky vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.0% more for clothing
|
Kentucky
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.82
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.25
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.57
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$97.91
|
$112.04
|
|
Kentucky vs. United States - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: November 2025
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