Moving to Ohio from Kentucky
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Kentucky to Ohio — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Kentucky to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 0.6% more expensive than Kentucky. A $75,000 salary in Kentucky would need to be roughly $75,500 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle. Louisville and Columbus are about 190 mi apart.
Is Ohio cheaper than Kentucky?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 8.3% more
Groceries
pay 2.4% less
Transportation
pay 22.1% more
Housing
pay 4.4% less
Childcare
pay 11.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.2% 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.
What salary do you need in Ohio?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Kentucky to Ohio.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Kentucky performs better than Ohio across all safety metrics.
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
Kentucky generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kentucky performs better than Ohio across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Ohio performs significantly better than Kentucky across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Ohio generally does better on employment & economy, though Kentucky leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Ohio performs significantly better than Kentucky across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Ohio vs Kentucky
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Louisville | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/66°F (30°/19°C) | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/40°F (14°/4°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Louisville | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°/27°F (6.1°/-2.9°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.2°C) | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) |
| Mar | 58°/38°F (14.4°/3.2°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Apr | 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.5°C) | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) |
| May | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) |
| Jun | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) |
| Jul | 89°/70°F (31.5°/21.1°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.3°C) | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) |
| Sep | 82°/60°F (27.5°/15.8°C) | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) |
| Oct | 70°/49°F (21.2°/9.4°C) | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) |
| Nov | 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.2°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Dec | 46°/30°F (7.7°/-1.1°C) | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than Kentucky?
Costs in Ohio and Kentucky are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Ohio?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,875 in Ohio on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Ohio safe?
Kentucky performs better than Ohio across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Ohio compared to Kentucky?
Kentucky generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Ohio compared to Kentucky?
The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 68°F in Louisville. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Louisville gets 44.9 in.
