Moving to Kentucky from Ohio
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Ohio to Kentucky — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Ohio to Kentucky, you would find that Kentucky is 0.6% cheaper than Ohio. A $75,000 salary in Ohio would need to be roughly $74,500 in Kentucky to maintain the same lifestyle. Columbus and Louisville are about 190 mi apart.
Is Kentucky cheaper than Ohio?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 7.6% less
Groceries
pay 2.5% more
Transportation
pay 18.1% less
Housing
pay 4.6% more
Childcare
pay 13.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.2% 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.
What salary do you need in Kentucky?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $74,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Kentucky
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Ohio to Kentucky.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Kentucky performs significantly 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 significantly 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 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 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 Kentucky vs Ohio
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Columbus | Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) | 86°/66°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 58°/40°F (14°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbus | Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) | 43°/27°F (6.1°/-2.9°C) |
| Feb | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.2°C) |
| Mar | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) | 58°/38°F (14.4°/3.2°C) |
| Apr | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) | 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.5°C) |
| May | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) |
| Jul | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) | 89°/70°F (31.5°/21.1°C) |
| Aug | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.3°C) |
| Sep | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) | 82°/60°F (27.5°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) | 70°/49°F (21.2°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) | 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.2°C) |
| Dec | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) | 46°/30°F (7.7°/-1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kentucky than Ohio?
Costs in Kentucky and Ohio are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Kentucky?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,625 in Kentucky on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Kentucky safe?
Kentucky performs significantly better than Ohio across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Kentucky compared to Ohio?
Kentucky generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Kentucky compared to Ohio?
The average high temperature in Louisville is 68°F, compared to 76°F in Columbus. Louisville receives around 44.9 in of rainfall per year, while Columbus gets 46.8 in.
