State comparison
Kentucky vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $1,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Kentucky, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 92 against 85).
Kentucky
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 11 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Kentucky vs Tennessee
Kentucky has a flat 4% income tax, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,610 a year. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.78% of home value a year in Kentucky and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,677 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.00% in Kentucky and 9.55% in Tennessee; Kentucky is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,630 a year in Kentucky, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Kentucky's cost of living index is 85 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Kentucky is about 8% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Kentucky and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $135K gap in Kentucky's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Kentucky and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in Kentucky and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Kentucky is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Kentucky and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Kentucky is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 193% lower. Property crime is 1,770 per 100,000 in Kentucky against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring Kentucky.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.5 years in Kentucky and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.7-year edge for Tennessee. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Kentucky's health system 24th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so Kentucky scores better on care.
6.8% of Kentucky residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Kentucky. Kentucky expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kentucky's K-12 schools 34th in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 7 places apart in Kentucky's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Kentucky went to Trump by 26 points and Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
Kentucky has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in Kentucky and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kentucky and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Kentucky (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Kentucky and 36 in Tennessee (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
11
Kentucky
4
Tennessee
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Kentucky or Tennessee better to live in?
Kentucky wins more of the measures that decide a move. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $5,630); Kentucky on everyday costs (index 85 against 92); Kentucky on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Kentucky on schools (ranked 34th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Kentucky or Tennessee?
Kentucky is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 92. The median home is $215K in Kentucky and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $1,900 a year.
Does Kentucky or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,630 a year in Kentucky ($2,610 income tax, $1,677 property tax on the median home and $1,342 in sales tax) and $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Kentucky or Tennessee?
Kentucky, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Kentucky and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 1,770 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, Kentucky or Tennessee?
Kentucky. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kentucky 34th of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st.
Is Kentucky or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Kentucky does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,677 a year in Kentucky and $1,575 in Tennessee.