Moving to Kentucky from New Mexico

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If you moved from New Mexico to Kentucky, you would find that Kentucky is 8.8% cheaper than New Mexico. A $75,000 salary in New Mexico would need to be roughly $68,400 in Kentucky to maintain the same lifestyle. Albuquerque and Louisville are about 1,200 mi apart.

Is Kentucky cheaper than New Mexico?

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 9.7% less

Groceries

pay 6.7% less

Transportation

pay 12.7% more

Housing

pay 21.0% less

Childcare

pay 14.6% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 16.0% less

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Kentucky?

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 → $68,400

To maintain the same standard of living in Kentucky

Calculate with your salary →

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in Kentucky compared to New Mexico.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

NM
745
KY
220
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

NM
2872
KY
1525

Kentucky performs significantly better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

NM
9.3%
KY
5.7%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

NM
32.2%
KY
38.2%

New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kentucky leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

NM
$232,200
KY
$192,300
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

NM
$1,021
KY
$933

Kentucky generally does better on what about housing?, though New Mexico leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

NM
84.5%
KY
87.4%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

NM
23 min
KY
24 min

New Mexico generally does better on infrastructure, though Kentucky leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

NM
4.2%
KY
3.5%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

NM
$56,008
KY
$50,135

Kentucky generally does better on employment & economy, though New Mexico leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

NM
74.5 yrs
KY
73.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

NM
21%
KY
18%

New Mexico performs better than Kentucky across all family life metrics.

Weather in Kentucky vs New Mexico

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Albuquerque Rain: 9.4 in/yr (240 mm)
69° / 46°F

Avg. annual high / low

Louisville Rain: 44.9 in/yr (1141 mm)
68° / 49°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Albuquerque Louisville
Jan–Mar 53°/31°F (12°/-1°C) 50°/32°F (10°/0°C)
Apr–Jun 79°/53°F (26°/11°C) 77°/57°F (25°/14°C)
Jul–Sep 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) 86°/66°F (30°/19°C)
Oct–Dec 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) 58°/40°F (14°/4°C)
View all months
Month Albuquerque Louisville
Jan 47°/26°F (8.2°/-3.3°C) 43°/27°F (6.1°/-2.9°C)
Feb 53°/30°F (11.4°/-0.9°C) 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.2°C)
Mar 60°/36°F (15.8°/2.1°C) 58°/38°F (14.4°/3.2°C)
Apr 69°/43°F (20.6°/6.1°C) 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.5°C)
May 79°/53°F (26.0°/11.4°C) 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C)
Jun 88°/62°F (31.3°/16.4°C) 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C)
Jul 90°/66°F (32.3°/19.1°C) 89°/70°F (31.5°/21.1°C)
Aug 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.3°C)
Sep 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) 82°/60°F (27.5°/15.8°C)
Oct 69°/46°F (20.6°/7.8°C) 70°/49°F (21.2°/9.4°C)
Nov 56°/34°F (13.2°/1.2°C) 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.2°C)
Dec 46°/26°F (7.8°/-3.1°C) 46°/30°F (7.7°/-1.1°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Kentucky than New Mexico?

On average Kentucky is about 9% less expensive than New Mexico, with major cities narrowing the gap.

How much money do I need to move to Kentucky?

Budget about $17,100 for 3 months in Kentucky (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Kentucky safe?

Kentucky performs significantly better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Kentucky compared to New Mexico?

New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kentucky leads in uninsured rate.

What's the weather like in Kentucky compared to New Mexico?

The average high temperature in Louisville is 68°F, compared to 69°F in Albuquerque. Louisville receives around 44.9 in of rainfall per year, while Albuquerque gets 9.4 in.

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