Cost Of Living in Columbus, KY

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Columbus	Kentucky	National
Cost of living	75	90	100
Goods & Services	94	101	100
Groceries	97	101	100
Health care	87	84	100
Housing	36	70	100
Transportation	89	92	100
Utilities	86	104	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Columbus is 17% lower than the Kentucky average
The cost of living in Columbus is 25% lower than the national average
Columbus housing is 64% lower than the national average
Kentucky general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Kentucky state income tax is 73% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$38,750	$3,229	$904	$1,163
Renters	$40,833	$3,403	$953	$1,225

Kentucky Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Kentucky	6%	6%

Kentucky Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Kentucky	4.5%	4.5%

Goods & Services

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$24.01	$24.26	1.0%
Beauty Salon	$33.55	$45.56	26.4%
Toothpaste	$3.74	$3.70	1.1%
Shampoo	$1.08	$1.28	15.9%
Movie	$11.93	$12.13	1.7%
Bowling	$12.50	$18.00	30.6%

Groceries

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.94	$5.84	1.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.67	$1.57	6.2%
Milk	$4.54	$4.67	2.8%
Potatoes	$5.03	$4.93	1.9%
Pizza	$12.00	$12.09	0.7%
Beer	$9.74	$10.41	6.5%

Health Care

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$127.08	$125.68	1.1%
Doctor	$138.39	$135.78	1.9%
Dentist	$86.67	$113.29	23.5%
Ibuprofen	$10.10	$10.65	5.2%
Lipitor	$338.33	$468.60	27.8%

Housing

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$66,400.00	$184,700.00	64.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,691.70	$2,346.69	27.9%
Apartment Rent	$0.00	$949.00	100.0%

Transportation

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.15	$3.46	9.0%
Tire Balancing	$50.50	$59.92	15.7%

Utilities

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$148.29	$193.99	23.6%
Phone	$192.18	$192.25	0.0%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Cayce, KY	142	92	8.0%
Pinhook, MO	0	92	8.0%
Lovelaceville, KY	0	92	8.0%
Blandville, KY	87	92	8.0%
Wilson City, MO	24	73	27.5%
Columbus, KY	239	75	24.8%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Upper Kalskag, AK	239	110	9.9%
Bakerhill, AL	239	83	16.5%
Fredonia (Biscoe), AR	239	82	17.7%
Cushing, IA	239	79	21.5%
Metcalf, IL	239	82	17.7%
Columbus, KY	239	75	24.8%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Columbus, KY