Phoenix, AZ vs Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
Moving from Phoenix to Louisville/Jefferson County? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $89,029 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY (−$10,971).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,500 sqft in Louisville/Jefferson County ($242 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $18,000 | −$2,904 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,716 | −$203 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,870 | −$90 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,620 | −$48 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,200 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $7,922 | +$642 |
| Total | $40,531 | $38,328 | −$2,203 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 4.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 4.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.82% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 1.44% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $250 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 15.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 26 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |