Moving to Kentucky from Tennessee
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Tennessee to Kentucky — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Tennessee to Kentucky, you would find that Kentucky is 9.8% cheaper than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $67,600 in Kentucky to maintain the same lifestyle. Nashville and Louisville are about 160 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Kentucky? Get a shortlist of towns in Kentucky that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Kentucky cheaper than Tennessee?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 15.9% less
Groceries
pay 5.0% less
Transportation
pay 1.9% less
Housing
pay 18.6% less
Childcare
pay 19.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.2% 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 Kentucky?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,600
To maintain the same standard of living in Kentucky
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Tennessee to Kentucky.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Kentucky performs significantly better than Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 significantly better than Tennessee across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Tennessee 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
Tennessee 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
Tennessee 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 Tennessee
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Nashville | Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) | 86°/66°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) | 58°/40°F (14°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Nashville | Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) | 43°/27°F (6.1°/-2.9°C) |
| Feb | 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.2°C) |
| Mar | 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) | 58°/38°F (14.4°/3.2°C) |
| Apr | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) | 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.5°C) |
| May | 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) |
| Jul | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) | 89°/70°F (31.5°/21.1°C) |
| Aug | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.3°C) |
| Sep | 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) | 82°/60°F (27.5°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) | 70°/49°F (21.2°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) | 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.2°C) |
| Dec | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) | 46°/30°F (7.7°/-1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kentucky than Tennessee?
Yes — Kentucky is on average about 10% cheaper than Tennessee. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Kentucky?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $16,900 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 Tennessee across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Kentucky compared to Tennessee?
Kentucky generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Tennessee leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Kentucky compared to Tennessee?
The average high temperature in Louisville is 68°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Louisville receives around 44.9 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.
