Moving to Kentucky from Hawaii
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Hawaii to Kentucky — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Hawaii to Kentucky, you would find that Kentucky is 27.0% cheaper than Hawaii. A $75,000 salary in Hawaii would need to be roughly $48,562 in Kentucky to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Bowling Green averages 69°F vs 84°F in Honolulu, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Hawaii to Kentucky.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $48,562
To maintain the same standard of living in Kentucky
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 32.4% less
Groceries
pay 50.1% less
Transportation
pay 26.1% less
Housing
pay 32.6% less
Childcare
pay 2.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.6% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Hawaii and Kentucky stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Hawaii generally does better on safety, though Kentucky leads in property crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Hawaii performs better than Kentucky across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kentucky performs significantly better than Hawaii across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Hawaii generally does better on infrastructure, though Kentucky leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Hawaii performs better than Kentucky across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Hawaii performs better than Kentucky across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Honolulu | Bowling Green |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 80°/67°F (27°/19°C) | 52°/31°F (11°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 85°/71°F (29°/22°C) | 78°/55°F (25°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/74°F (31°/24°C) | 87°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/71°F (29°/22°C) | 59°/38°F (15°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Honolulu | Bowling Green |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.1°C) |
| Feb | 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C) | 50°/30°F (10.0°/-1.3°C) |
| Mar | 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C) | 60°/37°F (15.4°/2.8°C) |
| Apr | 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C) | 70°/46°F (20.9°/7.6°C) |
| May | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C) | 78°/55°F (25.4°/12.8°C) |
| Jun | 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C) | 86°/64°F (30.1°/17.7°C) |
| Jul | 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C) | 89°/68°F (31.9°/19.9°C) |
| Aug | 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C) | 89°/66°F (31.6°/18.9°C) |
| Sep | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C) | 82°/58°F (27.8°/14.4°C) |
| Oct | 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C) | 71°/46°F (21.8°/7.9°C) |
| Nov | 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C) | 59°/38°F (15.2°/3.1°C) |
| Dec | 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C) | 48°/29°F (8.8°/-1.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kentucky than Hawaii?
Generally yes: Kentucky runs about 35% cheaper than Hawaii on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Kentucky?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $12,140 in Kentucky for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Kentucky safe?
Hawaii generally does better on safety, though Kentucky leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Kentucky compared to Hawaii?
Hawaii performs better than Kentucky across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Kentucky compared to Hawaii?
The average high temperature in Bowling Green is 69°F, compared to 84°F in Honolulu. Bowling Green receives around 49.9 in of rainfall per year, while Honolulu gets 17.1 in.
