Moving from Kentucky to New York: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Kentucky to New York.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Kentucky to New York
Kentucky has a flat 3.5% income tax and New York has graduated income tax rates up to 10.9%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,382 in state income tax in Kentucky and $4,860 in state income tax in New York. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $1,477 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $884 a month across Kentucky's metro areas and $1,400 across New York's (+58.5%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $47,891 in Kentucky and $59,552 in New York. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between Kentucky & New York
Moving from Kentucky to New York on a $100,000 salary: pay $1,477 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,400 vs $884 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $1,477 higher in New York than in Kentucky (1.5 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across New York's metros is $1,400 a month, versus $884 in Kentucky (+58.5%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$7,679 a year.
Kentucky: Flat Tax, top rate 3.5%. New York: Graduated Brackets, top rate 10.9%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.