Chicago, IL vs Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
Moving from Chicago to Louisville/Jefferson County? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Chicago vs Louisville/Jefferson County at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Chicago, IL, you'd need about $90,931 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY (−$9,069).
Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 2,500 sqft in Louisville/Jefferson County ($208 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Chicago, IL | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,192 | $18,000 | −$9,192 |
| Groceries | $5,215 | $4,716 | −$500 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,870 | +$320 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,620 | −$588 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $2,200 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $14,141 | $7,922 | −$6,219 |
| Total | $54,206 | $38,328 | −$15,879 |
Side by side
| Metric | Chicago, IL | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.19% | 4.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $353,998 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.4% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $200 |
| Median rent | $2,266 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 4.00% |
| Property tax rate | 2.11% | 0.82% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.44% |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $250 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 15.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 26 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |