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Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and Kentucky does this very well. Families love the Bluegrass State's beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.
But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state -- and that's how we're going to help you.
These are the places in Kentucky that cost a pretty penny -- the most expensive cities in the state.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Kentucky for 2023.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Kentucky? That would be Pikeville.
the 2017-2021 American Community Survey for the 78 places in Kentucky with more than 5,000 people.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Kentucky for 2023:
What's the most expensive place to live in Kentucky? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Pikeville is the most expensive place to live in Kentucky.
So hopefully Central City (the cheapest place to live in Kentucky) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.
And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about Kentucky and the most expensive cities in the country:
The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Kentucky For 2023
1. Pikeville
/10
Population: 7,376
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.7x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 53.1x (13th most expensive)
More on Pikeville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Pikeville comes in at $41,094 and the median home value is $235,100 for 2023.
2. Bowling Green
/10
Population: 71,422
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 51.8x (9th most expensive)
More on Bowling Green: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bowling Green comes in at $43,633 and the median home value is $171,600 for 2023.
3. Murray
/10
Population: 17,241
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.5x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 49.7x (6th most expensive)
More on Murray: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Murray comes in at $35,966 and the median home value is $161,800 for 2023.
4. Morehead
/10
Population: 6,994
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.6x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 48.0x (4th most expensive)
More on Morehead: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Morehead comes in at $33,409 and the median home value is $154,300 for 2023.
5. Lyndon
/10
Population: 11,033
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.6x (11th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.4x (20th most expensive)
More on Lyndon: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Lyndon comes in at $61,078 and the median home value is $219,400 for 2023.
6. Middletown
/10
Population: 9,473
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 9)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.3x (20th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 59.1x (22nd most expensive)
More on Middletown: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Middletown comes in at $73,638 and the median home value is $241,600 for 2023.
7. Richmond
/10
Population: 34,662
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 53.0x (12th most expensive)
More on Richmond: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Richmond comes in at $40,221 and the median home value is $157,200 for 2023.
8. St. Matthews
/10
Population: 17,588
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.7x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 64.4x (38th most expensive)
More on St. Matthews: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in St. Matthews comes in at $72,910 and the median home value is $268,400 for 2023.
9. Newport
/10
Population: 14,378
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.8x (7th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 56.9x (16th most expensive)
More on Newport: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Newport comes in at $44,095 and the median home value is $168,800 for 2023.
10. Lexington
/10
Population: 321,354
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.5x (12th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 63.6x (37th most expensive)
More on Lexington: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Lexington comes in at $61,526 and the median home value is $216,800 for 2023.
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Bluegrass State For 2023
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:
- How much do money do I make?
- How much do I have spend to live there?
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2017-2021 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Kentucky to figure out which is the most expensive.
What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 78 places in Kentucky that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Kentucky according to the data is Pikeville. You can download the data here.
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Kentucky For 2023
Well there you have it, the places in Kentucky that have the highest cost of living, with Pikeville ranking as the most expensive city in the Bluegrass State.
Here's a look at the most affordable cities in Kentucky according to the data:
- Central City
- Princeton
- Flatwoods
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Kentucky
- Cheapest Places To Live In Kentucky
- Most Dangerous Cities In Kentucky
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Kentucky
- Safest Places In Kentucky
- Worst Places To Live In Kentucky
Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Kentucky
| Rank | City | ExpensiveScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pikeville | 8.0 |
| 2 | Bowling Green | 13.67 |
| 3 | Murray | 13.67 |
| 4 | Morehead | 14.0 |
| 5 | Lyndon | 14.33 |
| 6 | Middletown | 16.0 |
| 7 | Richmond | 17.33 |
| 8 | St. Matthews | 17.67 |
| 9 | Newport | 17.67 |
| 10 | Lexington | 20.67 |
| 11 | Somerset | 25.0 |
| 12 | Elizabethtown | 25.33 |
| 13 | Douglass Hills | 26.0 |
| 14 | Versailles | 26.33 |
| 15 | Danville | 26.67 |
| 16 | Fort Mitchell | 28.0 |
| 17 | Glasgow | 28.0 |
| 18 | Louisville | 29.0 |
| 19 | Wilmore | 29.67 |
| 20 | Highland Heights | 30.67 |
| 21 | Oak Grove | 31.0 |
| 22 | Maysville | 32.0 |
| 23 | London | 33.0 |
| 24 | Paducah | 34.0 |
| 25 | Paris | 34.33 |
| 26 | Bardstown | 34.33 |
| 27 | Hopkinsville | 34.67 |
| 28 | Winchester | 34.67 |
| 29 | La Grange | 37.33 |
| 30 | Lebanon | 37.33 |
| 31 | Vine Grove | 38.33 |
| 32 | Georgetown | 38.67 |
| 33 | Williamsburg | 39.0 |
| 34 | Crestwood | 39.0 |
| 35 | Owensboro | 39.33 |
| 36 | Madisonville | 40.0 |
| 37 | Nicholasville | 40.0 |
| 38 | Hillview | 40.33 |
| 39 | Franklin | 41.67 |
| 40 | Mount Sterling | 42.0 |
| 41 | Shively | 42.0 |
| 42 | Radcliff | 42.0 |
| 43 | Lawrenceburg | 42.0 |
| 44 | Jeffersontown | 43.33 |
| 45 | Leitchfield | 43.67 |
| 46 | Fort Thomas | 43.67 |
| 47 | Henderson | 44.33 |
| 48 | Cold Spring | 45.0 |
| 49 | Shelbyville | 45.0 |
| 50 | Covington | 45.0 |
| 51 | Florence | 45.67 |
| 52 | Union | 45.67 |
| 53 | Elsmere | 46.0 |
| 54 | Frankfort | 46.33 |
| 55 | Berea | 47.0 |
| 56 | Taylor Mill | 48.0 |
| 57 | Mayfield | 48.67 |
| 58 | Fort Wright | 48.67 |
| 59 | Corbin | 50.33 |
| 60 | Shepherdsville | 50.67 |
| 61 | Harrodsburg | 50.67 |
| 62 | Alexandria | 51.0 |
| 63 | Cynthiana | 51.33 |
| 64 | Middlesborough | 51.33 |
| 65 | Villa Hills | 51.67 |
| 66 | Campbellsville | 52.33 |
| 67 | Edgewood | 52.33 |
| 68 | Russellville | 52.67 |
| 69 | Independence | 52.67 |
| 70 | Mount Washington | 53.33 |
| 71 | Monticello | 53.83 |
| 72 | Erlanger | 59.0 |
| 73 | Bellevue | 61.33 |
| 74 | Ashland | 62.33 |
| 75 | Dayton | 64.5 |
| 76 | Flatwoods | 65.33 |
| 77 | Princeton | 70.33 |
| 78 | Central City | 75.67 |
