Cost of Living: Chattanooga, TN vs Louisville, KY

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,516/mo in Chattanooga, TN versus $4,254/mo in Louisville, KY. In the model, rent is about 16.83% of gross in Chattanooga, TN versus 15.98% in Louisville, KY, so Louisville, KY tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Chattanooga, TN
$4,516/mo
Income level: near
Take-home in Louisville, KY
$4,254/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Chattanooga, TN
16.83%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Louisville, KY
15.98%
COLI tier: lower-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Chattanooga, TN and Louisville, KY.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Louisville, KY
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Louisville, KY
  • Lower home prices: Louisville, KY
  • Higher median household income: Louisville, KY

Cost of Living Index

Chattanooga, TN: 88.6 (U.S. = 100) · Louisville, KY: 86.8 (U.S. = 100)

Louisville, KY has a lower cost-of-living index than Chattanooga, TN, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Chattanooga, TN: $1,098/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Louisville, KY: $1,042/mo

Median rent in Chattanooga, TN is $56/mo higher than in Louisville, KY.

Median Home Price

Chattanooga, TN: $259,200 · Louisville, KY: $237,200

Median home price in Chattanooga, TN is $22,000 higher than in Louisville, KY.

Median Household Income

Chattanooga, TN: $61,028 · Louisville, KY: $67,849

Louisville, KY has a higher median household income than Chattanooga, TN by $6,821.

Chattanooga, TN overview · Louisville, KY overview · Popular comparisons