Overall
93.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Cost-of-living indicators for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 93.1
- Overall RPP
- #207
- of 387 metros
- 78.6
- Rents RPP
- $107K
- $100K national buys
Louisville/Jefferson County ranks #207 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Huntsville
The verdict
Louisville/Jefferson County costs less than 53% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 93.1, 6.9% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 75.0.
- bottom 47%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 75.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,441 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $93,074.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$93,074
in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,537
$75,000 nationally
$69,806
$125,000 nationally
$116,343
$150,000 nationally
$139,611
$200,000 nationally
$186,148
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
50/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
50th 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.
Service-cost relief profile
How Louisville/Jefferson County's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Louisville/Jefferson County: their index is 75.0, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 93.1 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Lexington-Fayette, KY, Memphis, TN-MS-AR, Chattanooga, TN-GA. They resemble Louisville/Jefferson County 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, Louisville/Jefferson County's overall index has stayed within 0.1 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.
Louisville/Jefferson County vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 47% higher than 47% 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
Louisville/Jefferson County cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
78.6 RPP
- Services
Services
75 RPP
- Overall
Overall
93.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Louisville/Jefferson County's strongest departure is services at 75.0; rents follows at 78.6. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Louisville/Jefferson County's cost comes from
Metros near Louisville/Jefferson County's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Louisville/Jefferson County (Louisville/Jefferson County, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 78.6
- Huntsville: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 77.9
- Green Bay: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 74.7
- Flint: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 74
- Columbus: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 75.5
- Burlington: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 77.9
- Lebanon: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 66
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
75.0
Cheap
Rents
78.6
Cheap
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Louisville/Jefferson County's overall RPP fell -0.1 points, from 93.2 in 2023 to 93.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 81.7 to 75.0. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.1 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 2.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Louisville/Jefferson County overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.2 |
| 2009 | 92.3 |
| 2010 | 94.3 |
| 2011 | 94.4 |
| 2012 | 94.9 |
| 2013 | 95.2 |
| 2014 | 95.4 |
| 2015 | 94.6 |
| 2016 | 95.1 |
| 2017 | 94.4 |
| 2018 | 91.6 |
| 2019 | 91.3 |
| 2020 | 91.6 |
| 2021 | 91.6 |
| 2022 | 92.1 |
| 2023 | 93.2 |
| 2024 | 93.1 |
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN's index of 93.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
KY-relative analysis
Goods prices places Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN toward the bottom of KY's metros
Among the 6 KY metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ranks #5 - the 17th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#5 of 6
17th percentile in KY
Services prices
#4 of 6
33rd percentile in KY
Rent prices
#1 of 6
83rd 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN: 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 (93.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (78.6 here).
Other KY Metros
Lexington-Fayette, KY 92.9 Elizabethtown, KY 90.6 Bowling Green, KY 90.2 Owensboro, KY 88.6 Paducah, KY-IL 86.1
View all KY metros → Cheapest in KY → Most expensive in KY →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Louisville/Jefferson County'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.
Lexington-Fayette, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 74.6 · Rents 77.1 Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Goods 96.2 · Services 74.1 · Rents 79.8 Chattanooga, TN-GA
Goods 96.0 · Services 74.2 · Rents 76.5 Billings, MT
Goods 96.0 · Services 72.4 · Rents 77.4 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
Goods 93.6 · Services 75.1 · Rents 76.9 Fargo, ND-MN
Goods 95.7 · Services 77.3 · Rents 81.1
Compare to Other Metros
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Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Louisville/Jefferson County
How to read Louisville/Jefferson County'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 $107,441 in Louisville/Jefferson County. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 75.0, 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 Louisville/Jefferson County 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 93.1, meaning it is 6.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 75.0, and rents at 78.6. It ranks #207 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $93,074 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN. Conversely, $100K earned in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN has the purchasing power of $107,441 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?
Rents in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN are indexed at 78.6, which is 21.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN's overall cost index changed by -0.1 points (from 93.2 to 93.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?
The priciest category in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 75.0, 25.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Huntsville, Green Bay, Flint. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN's 93.1.
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.