Moving to Kentucky from Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Virginia to Kentucky — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Virginia to Kentucky, you would find that Kentucky is 18.4% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $59,516 in Kentucky to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Virginia to Kentucky.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $59,516
To maintain the same standard of living in Kentucky
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 16.1% less
Groceries
pay 23.4% less
Transportation
pay 13.8% less
Housing
pay 17.8% less
Childcare
pay 26.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.3% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Virginia and Kentucky 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 significantly better than Virginia 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
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kentucky leads in uninsured 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 Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia 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
Virginia 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
Virginia performs 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 | Richmond | Bowling Green |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 52°/31°F (11°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 78°/55°F (25°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 87°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 59°/38°F (15°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Bowling Green |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.1°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 50°/30°F (10.0°/-1.3°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 60°/37°F (15.4°/2.8°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 70°/46°F (20.9°/7.6°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 78°/55°F (25.4°/12.8°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 86°/64°F (30.1°/17.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 89°/68°F (31.9°/19.9°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 89°/66°F (31.6°/18.9°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 82°/58°F (27.8°/14.4°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 71°/46°F (21.8°/7.9°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 59°/38°F (15.2°/3.1°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 48°/29°F (8.8°/-1.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kentucky than Virginia?
Generally yes: Kentucky runs about 21% cheaper than Virginia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Kentucky?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $14,879 in Kentucky for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Kentucky safe?
Kentucky performs significantly better than Virginia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Kentucky compared to Virginia?
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kentucky leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Kentucky compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Bowling Green is 69°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Bowling Green receives around 49.9 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
