Lexington vs Paducah leftover
You'd keep $43 more a month in Paducah
$2,221/mo leftover in Paducah vs $2,178 in Lexington after tax and rent ($43 more). +$516 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Lexington leftover
$2,178
a month after tax and rent
Paducah leftover
$2,221
+$43 vs Lexington
Compare Lexington to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Lexington.
Monthly gap
Lexington → Paducah
$43
more / month in Paducah
$2,221 in Paducah · $2,178 in Lexington · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
29 went the other way. The whole move →
+$43 / mo
| Per month | Lexington | Paducah | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,958 | $6,608 | −$350 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,736 | $1,613 | −$123 |
| Take-home pay | $5,222 | $4,995 | −$227 |
| Rent | $1,135 | $821 | −$314 |
| Getting around | $541 | $589 | +$48 |
| Groceries | $378 | $376 | −$2 |
| Healthcare | $425 | $423 | −$2 |
| Utilities | $236 | $235 | −$1 |
| Everything else | $330 | $329 | −$1 |
| Left over | $2,178 | $2,221 | +$43 |
To break even in Paducah, you'd need to earn
$78,500
Household gross, versus $83,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Lexington does now.
The tax difference alone
+$231
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.0% in Lexington, 24.4% in Paducah.
More about Paducah
Lexington, KY in full
A flat 4% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,351 and 194 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
Paducah, KY in full
A flat 4% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $977 and 222 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Paducah on Paducah wages.
Paducah → Lexington →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Paducah than Lexington?
A one-bedroom is about $1,135 in Lexington versus $821 in Paducah. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $43 a month higher in Paducah. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Paducah have state income tax?
Paducah is in Kentucky, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.50%.
What changes if you move from Lexington to Paducah?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Kentucky tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Lexington and Paducah moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.