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The break-even is $98,900: that's Kentucky's version of a $100,000 Ohio salary. Here's every line that moves, in dollars.
That's $1,100 less than what you earn now, after 2026 federal tax, state tax at both ends, and price levels of 92.8 in Ohio against 90.2 in Kentucky, where 100 is the national average.
Some moves are worth making and still cost you money. The federal price index puts Kentucky 2.6 points below Ohio, or 2.8% on what a household actually buys.
So $100,000 in Ohio is matched by $98,900 in Kentucky. You can take $1,100 less and be no worse off.
Five income levels, each one run through the whole calculation twice. Single filer, standard deduction, 2026 brackets, and each state's own price level applied to what survives.
| Ohio salary | Take-home there | Real value | Kentucky salary to match | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $49,516 | $53,357 | $59,600 | −$400 |
| $80,000 | $63,686 | $68,627 | $79,200 | −$800 |
| $100,000 | $77,199 | $83,188 | $98,900 | −$1,100 |
| $150,000 | $110,435 | $119,003 | $148,000 | −$2,000 |
| $200,000 | $144,196 | $155,383 | $197,300 | −$2,700 |
Real value is take-home pay divided by the state price level, which is BEA's own method for comparing incomes across places. It answers what a salary would buy in an average American state, so two very different places can be set side by side on the same terms.
| Salary | Ohio | Kentucky | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $8751.5% | $1,9823.3% | +$1,108 |
| $80,000 | $1,4251.8% | $2,6823.4% | +$1,258 |
| $100,000 | $1,9812.0% | $3,3823.4% | +$1,401 |
| $150,000 | $3,3562.2% | $5,1323.4% | +$1,776 |
| $200,000 | $4,7312.4% | $6,8823.4% | +$2,151 |
Ohio takes $1,981 of a $100,000 salary, an effective 2.0%. Kentucky takes $3,382, or 3.4%. That's $1,400 a year more.
The gap grows with income: $1,108 at $60,000, $2,151 at $200,000. So if this move comes with a promotion attached, the tax side of it gets worse rather than staying put.
Price parity is BEA's measure of what the same basket of goods costs in different places, with 100 as the national average. Ohio scores 92.8. Kentucky scores 90.2.
Converted into money, the same $100,000 spends like $84,033 in Kentucky against $83,188 in Ohio. That's $800 a year of difference from geography alone.
One caveat that applies in both directions. A state figure is an average across every city, town and rural county in it, and the spread inside a big state is wider than the spread between most pairs of states. If you already know which metro you're moving to, the city-level pages are the more precise answer.
Hold the salary at $100,000 and move states. Federal tax and FICA don't change, so exactly two things do: what the state takes, and what things cost.
| Line | Ohio | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$13,170 | −$13,170 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$7,650 | −$7,650 |
| State income tax | −$1,981 | −$3,382 |
| Take-home pay | $77,199 | $75,798 |
| Adjusted for state prices (92.8 against 90.2) | $83,188 | $84,033 |
Net of everything, the same $100,000 is worth $800 more a year in Kentucky. Of that, $1,400 is the state tax line and $2,200 is the price level. Those two are the entire difference, because everything else about a US paycheck is federal.
A state figure averages over every city and county in it, and the spread inside Kentucky is wider than the gap between most pairs of states. If you already know where you're landing, these are the city-level numbers on a $100,000 salary.
Your salary, your two cities, the same federal price data. Takes about fifteen seconds.
Compare my citiesOn the same $100,000 salary you end up about $800 a year better off in Kentucky. That's inside the range that a single change of neighbourhood or commute would swamp.
Which means this move doesn't decide itself on money. The break-even is $98,900, close enough to $100,000 that the rest of the decision is about everything the numbers don't cover.
One thing this page can't tell you: it assumes you buy roughly what an average household buys, and housing dominates that basket. If you own outright, carry a fixed mortgage, or split rent several ways, the price adjustment overstates your case in both directions. Ohio and Kentucky are averages, and averages hide neighbourhoods.
Send the whole thing to your inbox so you can come back to it, or forward it to whoever you're deciding this with. We'll also tell you in January when the 2027 tax brackets and federal price data land and every number here changes.
The breakdown, then about one email a year. No sales pitch, unsubscribe any time.About $98,900. That holds the same purchasing power once 2026 federal tax, Ohio and Kentucky state tax, mandatory state payroll taxes, and each state's price level have all been applied. At $60,000 the match is $59,600, and at $200,000 it's $197,300.
You don't save, you pay more. On a $100,000 salary Ohio takes $1,981 and Kentucky takes $3,382, which is about $1,401 a year more.
Yes. On the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parity index Kentucky scores 90.2 against Ohio at 92.8, so the same basket costs 2.8% less. These are statewide averages, and the spread inside a large state is wider than the gap between most pairs of states, so a specific metro can run against the state figure.
No. Everything on this page is a recurring annual figure: tax, price levels and purchasing power on an ongoing salary. A move also carries one-off costs, and this page states none of them because we hold no data on them and won't invent it.
Price levels are Regional Price Parities from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024 vintage, which is the federal government's official measure of geographic price differences. Tax figures are 2026 federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 plus each state's 2026 schedule. States whose 2026 figures could not be confirmed against a primary source do not get a page at all.