Overall
90.2
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Bowling Green, KY
Cost-of-living indicators for Bowling Green, KY, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 90.2
- Overall RPP
- #286
- of 387 metros
- 63.4
- Rents RPP
- $111K
- $100K national buys
Bowling Green ranks #286 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 3.5 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Manhattan
The verdict
Bowling Green costs less than 74% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 90.2, 9.8% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 63.4.
- bottom 26%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 75.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $110,891 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $90,179.
Bowling Green vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
90 Bottom 26% higher than 26% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Bowling Green cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
63.4 RPP
- Services
Services
75.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
90.2 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Bowling Green's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 63.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 75.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Bowling Green's cost comes from
Metros near Bowling Green's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Bowling Green (Bowling Green, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 63.4
- Manhattan: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 72
- Rome: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 60.3
- Las Cruces: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 63
- Lawrence: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 71.6
- Beaumont: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 70.9
- Elkhart: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 64.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
75.2
Cheap
Rents
63.4
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Bowling Green's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Bowling Green: rents index at 63.4, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 90.2.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Minot, ND, Las Cruces, NM, Grand Island, NE. They resemble Bowling Green across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Bowling Green's overall index has risen by 3.5 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$90,179
in Bowling Green, KY purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,090
$75,000 nationally
$67,634
$125,000 nationally
$112,724
$150,000 nationally
$135,269
$200,000 nationally
$180,358
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
79/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
79th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 3.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 3.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Bowling Green overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.6 |
| 2009 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 88.5 |
| 2011 | 87.8 |
| 2012 | 88.7 |
| 2013 | 90.0 |
| 2014 | 89.3 |
| 2015 | 88.9 |
| 2016 | 87.3 |
| 2017 | 87.8 |
| 2018 | 87.9 |
| 2019 | 88.9 |
| 2020 | 89.4 |
| 2021 | 88.6 |
| 2022 | 89.3 |
| 2023 | 89.9 |
| 2024 | 90.2 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Bowling Green's overall RPP rose +0.3 points, from 89.9 in 2023 to 90.2 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 80.7 to 75.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Bowling Green's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Minot, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 72.9 · Rents 63.2 Las Cruces, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 77.9 · Rents 63.0 Grand Island, NE
Goods 94.1 · Services 74.2 · Rents 61.7 Jackson, MS
Goods 96.2 · Services 78.1 · Rents 64.8 Johnson City, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 71.9 · Rents 63.2 Elizabethtown, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 74.6 · Rents 66.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Bowling Green, KY's index of 90.2.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
KY-relative analysis
Goods prices sits close to the middle of KY's metro distribution
Among the 6 KY metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Bowling Green, KY ranks #1 - the 33rd percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Bowling Green, KY only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 6
33rd percentile in KY
Services prices
#2 of 6
67th percentile in KY
Rent prices
#4 of 6
33rd percentile in KY
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within KY only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Bowling Green, KY: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (90.2 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (63.4 here).
Other KY Metros
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 93.1 Lexington-Fayette, KY 92.9 Elizabethtown, KY 90.6 Owensboro, KY 88.6 Paducah, KY-IL 86.1
View all KY metros → Cheapest in KY → Most expensive in KY →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Bowling Green
How to read Bowling Green's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $110,891 in Bowling Green. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 63.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Bowling Green head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Bowling Green, KY?
Bowling Green, KY has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 90.2, meaning it is 9.8% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 75.2, and rents at 63.4. It ranks #286 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Bowling Green, KY to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,179 in Bowling Green, KY. Conversely, $100K earned in Bowling Green, KY has the purchasing power of $110,891 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Bowling Green, KY?
Rents in Bowling Green, KY are indexed at 63.4, which is 36.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Bowling Green, KY getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Bowling Green, KY's overall cost index changed by +3.5 points (from 86.6 to 90.2). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Bowling Green, KY?
The priciest category in Bowling Green, KY is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 63.4, 36.6% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Bowling Green, KY?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Manhattan, Rome, Las Cruces. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Bowling Green, KY's 90.2.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.