Cincinnati vs Louisville
The short version
- Louisville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Cincinnati area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $230,900 in Cincinnati and $233,900 in Louisville.
- Households earn more in Louisville ($66,849 vs $52,909 median).
- Louisville has the warmer winter: January highs of 44°F vs 40°F.
- Cincinnati gets far more snow: 23 inches a year vs 13.
- Louisville has more scorching days: 43 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 22.
Side by side
| Cincinnati, OH | Louisville, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 314,367 | 641,962 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.5% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 4,035 | 2,441 |
| Median age | 33.2 | 37.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 34% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,909 | $66,849 |
| Median home value | $230,900 | $233,900 |
| Home value to income | 4.4× | 3.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,001 | $1,120 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 95.4 | 93.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 87.6 | 78.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,500 | $69,800 |
| Homeowners | 40% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | 2.75% | 3.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.29% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.4 | 22.5 |
| Work from home | 15% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.8% | 5.5% |
| Poverty rate | 25.5% | 15.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 23° | 44° / 28° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 89° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 45 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 23 in | 13 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 22 | 43 |
| Nights below freezing | 100 | 74 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.3 | 98.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 26% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.8% | +3.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.9% | +40.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Cincinnati: July to October. Louisville: June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Cincinnati weather by month and Louisville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,500 in Cincinnati and $69,800 in Louisville. Moving from Cincinnati to Louisville, you would need about $73,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cincinnati and Louisville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cincinnati and Louisville.
Which would you pick?
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