Moving to Texas from Kentucky
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kentucky to Texas — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kentucky to Texas, you would find that Texas is 10.1% more expensive than Kentucky. A $75,000 salary in Kentucky would need to be roughly $79,627 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Austin averages 79°F vs 69°F in Bowling Green, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Kentucky to Texas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,627
To maintain the same standard of living in Texas
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 11.8% more
Groceries
pay 3.1% more
Transportation
pay 18.8% more
Housing
pay 16.8% more
Childcare
pay 5.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.4% more
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 Kentucky and Texas 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
Kentucky performs better than Texas 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 Texas leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kentucky performs better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kentucky generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in internet access.
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
Texas 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
Texas performs significantly 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 | Bowling Green | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/31°F (11°/-1°C) | 65°/40°F (18°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (25°/13°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/64°F (30°/18°C) | 93°/70°F (34°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 59°/38°F (15°/3°C) | 71°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bowling Green | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.1°C) | 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C) |
| Feb | 50°/30°F (10.0°/-1.3°C) | 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.4°/2.8°C) | 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (20.9°/7.6°C) | 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.4°/12.8°C) | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C) |
| Jun | 86°/64°F (30.1°/17.7°C) | 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C) |
| Jul | 89°/68°F (31.9°/19.9°C) | 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C) |
| Aug | 89°/66°F (31.6°/18.9°C) | 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C) |
| Sep | 82°/58°F (27.8°/14.4°C) | 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C) |
| Oct | 71°/46°F (21.8°/7.9°C) | 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C) |
| Nov | 59°/38°F (15.2°/3.1°C) | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C) |
| Dec | 48°/29°F (8.8°/-1.6°C) | 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Kentucky?
Day-to-day costs in Texas run about 6% higher than Kentucky on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Texas?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $19,907 in Texas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Texas safe?
Kentucky performs better than Texas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Texas compared to Kentucky?
Kentucky generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Texas compared to Kentucky?
The average high temperature in Austin is 79°F, compared to 69°F in Bowling Green. Austin receives around 36.2 in of rainfall per year, while Bowling Green gets 49.9 in.
