Overall
86.1
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Paducah, KY-IL
Cost-of-living indicators for Paducah, KY-IL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.1
- Overall RPP
- #363
- of 387 metros
- 48.8
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Paducah ranks #363 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Cape Girardeau
The verdict
Paducah costs less than 94% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.1, 13.9% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 48.8.
- bottom 6%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 76.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,166 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,084.
Paducah vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 6% higher than 6% 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
Paducah cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
48.8 RPP
- Services
Services
76.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96 RPP
What this shows Paducah's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 48.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 76.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Paducah's cost comes from
Metros near Paducah's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Paducah (Paducah, this metro): goods RPP 96, rents RPP 48.8
- Cape Girardeau: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 56.4
- Brownsville: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.7
- Anniston: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Johnstown: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- McAllen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.0
Below avg
Services
76.9
Cheap
Rents
48.8
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Paducah's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Paducah: rents index at 48.8, 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 86.1.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Texarkana, TX-AR, Enid, OK *, Jonesboro, AR. They resemble Paducah 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, Paducah's overall index has stayed within 1.7 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:
$86,084
in Paducah, KY-IL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,042
$75,000 nationally
$64,563
$125,000 nationally
$107,605
$150,000 nationally
$129,126
$200,000 nationally
$172,168
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
98/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
98th 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 remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 4.0 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Paducah overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 82.7 |
| 2010 | 86.6 |
| 2011 | 85.8 |
| 2012 | 84.6 |
| 2013 | 86.0 |
| 2014 | 85.3 |
| 2015 | 86.7 |
| 2016 | 86.0 |
| 2017 | 85.5 |
| 2018 | 86.6 |
| 2019 | 87.7 |
| 2020 | 85.5 |
| 2021 | 85.3 |
| 2022 | 84.7 |
| 2023 | 85.6 |
| 2024 | 86.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Paducah's overall RPP rose +0.5 points, from 85.6 in 2023 to 86.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 82.3 to 76.9. 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 Paducah'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.
Texarkana, TX-AR
Goods 93.7 · Services 79.3 · Rents 49.9 Enid, OK *
Goods 93.8 · Services 74.4 · Rents 51.4 Jonesboro, AR
Goods 93.6 · Services 75.0 · Rents 53.8 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 72.6 · Rents 52.3 Fort Smith, AR-OK
Goods 93.6 · Services 73.8 · Rents 53.4 Hammond, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.0 · Rents 48.2
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Paducah, KY-IL's index of 86.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
KY-relative analysis
Goods prices places Paducah, KY-IL near the bottom of KY's metros
Among the 6 KY metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Paducah, KY-IL ranks #6 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Paducah, KY-IL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#6 of 6
0th percentile in KY
Services prices
#1 of 6
83rd percentile in KY
Rent prices
#6 of 6
0th 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 Paducah, KY-IL: 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 (86.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (48.8 here).
Other KY Metros
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 93.1 Lexington-Fayette, KY 92.9 Elizabethtown, KY 90.6 Bowling Green, KY 90.2 Owensboro, KY 88.6
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 Paducah
How to read Paducah'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 $116,166 in Paducah. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 48.8, 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 Paducah 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 Paducah, KY-IL?
Paducah, KY-IL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.1, meaning it is 13.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.0, services at 76.9, and rents at 48.8. It ranks #363 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Paducah, KY-IL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,084 in Paducah, KY-IL. Conversely, $100K earned in Paducah, KY-IL has the purchasing power of $116,166 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Paducah, KY-IL?
Rents in Paducah, KY-IL are indexed at 48.8, which is 51.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Paducah, KY-IL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Paducah, KY-IL's overall cost index changed by +1.7 points (from 84.4 to 86.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Paducah, KY-IL?
The priciest category in Paducah, KY-IL is goods at 96.0, 4.0% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 48.8, 51.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Paducah, KY-IL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Cape Girardeau, Brownsville-Harlingen, Anniston-Oxford. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Paducah, KY-IL's 86.1.
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.