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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Bowling Green, KY vs Owensboro, KY

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Bowling Green needs about $82,000 in Owensboro to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Owensboro, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $88,000 in Bowling Green.

A few differences

Bowling Green vs Owensboro · facet by facet
FacetBowling Green, KYOwensboro, KY
Median home price$241,900$178,900
2-bedroom rent$1,004/mo$931/mo
Property tax rate0.83%0.83%
State & local income tax5.45%5.45%
Sales tax6%6%
Cost of living index8177
Groceries index9595
Utilities$160/mo$160/mo
Median household income$48,873$56,357
Unemployment rate4.3%4.3%
Crime index45/10045/100
School rating5.2/105.2/10
Sunny days / year190 days190 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Bowling Green, KY · Owensboro, KY
Questions & answers
Is Bowling Green cheaper than Owensboro?
Owensboro has the lower day-to-day cost index (77 vs 81 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Owensboro equals $85,000 in Bowling Green?
A household earning $85,000 in Bowling Green needs about $82,000 in Owensboro to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Owensboro lifestyle costs about $88,000 in Bowling Green.