Lexington vs Cincinnati
The short version
- Lexington is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Cincinnati area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $230,900 in Cincinnati and $293,500 in Lexington.
- Households earn more in Lexington ($69,479 vs $52,909 median).
- Cincinnati gets far more snow: 23 inches a year vs 15.
Side by side
| Lexington, KY | Cincinnati, OH | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 329,751 | 314,367 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.2% | +1.5% |
| People per square mile | 1,162 | 4,035 |
| Median age | 35.3 | 33.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $69,479 | $52,909 |
| Median home value | $293,500 | $230,900 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 4.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,164 | $1,001 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.9 | 95.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 77.1 | 87.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,700 | $71,500 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 40% |
| Top state income tax | 3.5% | 2.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 7.29% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.9 | 22.4 |
| Work from home | 12% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| Poverty rate | 14.9% | 25.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 42° / 25° | 40° / 23° |
| July high / low | 87° / 67° | 86° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 45 in |
| Snowfall per year | 15 in | 23 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 25 | 22 |
| Nights below freezing | 90 | 100 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.0 | 96.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 73% | 26% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.1% | +3.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +52.5% | +49.9% |
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: Lexington: April and September to October. Cincinnati: July to October.
Full monthly tables: Lexington weather by month and Cincinnati weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,700 in Lexington and $71,500 in Cincinnati. Moving from Lexington to Cincinnati, you would need about $77,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lexington and Cincinnati
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Lexington and Cincinnati.
Which would you pick?
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