Decatur, AL vs Paducah, KY: cost of living compared
Price levels from BEA (2024); rent and home values from Zillow (September 2026).
The short answer
- Overall, Paducah, KY is 1.3% less expensive than Decatur, AL (BEA, 2024).
- To keep the same standard of living, $75,000 in Decatur works out to about $74,000 in Paducah, before taxes.
- Most of the difference is housing, which costs 16.0% less in Paducah. Goods are 0.4% lower and other services 0.2% higher.
- Typical asking rent is $1,151 a month in Paducah and $1,082 in Decatur, $828 a year more in Paducah (Zillow, September 2026).
- A typical home is valued at about $173,000 in Paducah and $227,000 in Decatur.
- The gap has narrowed since 2019, when Paducah was 4.0% more expensive than Decatur.
derived Calculated from BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) and Zillow data. Based on an average household's spending; taxes not included. How we calculate.
Category by category
Both cities against the US average (100). The gap in each row is what matters for a move.
Housing drives the gap: 16.0% lower in Paducah than in Decatur
Price level by category, 2024. US average = 100.
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 87.2 | 86.1 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.0 |
| Housing (rents) | 58.1 | 48.8 |
| Utilities | 84.7 | 76.9 |
| Other services | 96.7 | 96.9 |
| Category | Decatur | Paducah | Paducah vs Decatur |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 87.2 | 86.1 | −1.3% |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.0 | −0.4% |
| Housing (rents) | 58.1 | 48.8 | −16.0% |
| Utilities | 84.7 | 76.9 | −9.3% |
| Other services | 96.7 | 96.9 | +0.2% |
| Typical asking rent | $1,082 | $1,151 | +6.4% |
| Typical home value | $227,000 | $173,000 | −23.7% |
| Salary to match $75,000 in Decatur | $75,000 | $74,000 | −1.3% |
Index values: BEA, 2024, US = 100. Rent and home values: Data Provided by Zillow Group, September 2026.
How the gap has changed since 2008
The price gap between Decatur and Paducah has narrowed since 2008: 5.4 points then, 1.1 now
Overall price level each year, 2008–2024. US average = 100.
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 89.8 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 85.2 | 82.7 |
| 2010 | 88.8 | 86.6 |
| 2011 | 90.6 | 85.8 |
| 2012 | 88.2 | 84.6 |
| 2013 | 90.7 | 86.0 |
| 2014 | 87.3 | 85.3 |
| 2015 | 90.2 | 86.7 |
| 2016 | 89.2 | 86.0 |
| 2017 | 89.0 | 85.5 |
| 2018 | 87.2 | 86.6 |
| 2019 | 84.4 | 87.7 |
| 2020 | 87.2 | 85.5 |
| 2021 | 86.2 | 85.3 |
| 2022 | 87.4 | 84.7 |
| 2023 | 89.2 | 85.6 |
| 2024 | 87.2 | 86.1 |
Goods
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 96.7 | 95.1 |
| 2009 | 94.8 | 91.8 |
| 2010 | 96.5 | 96.9 |
| 2011 | 96.5 | 94.7 |
| 2012 | 96.7 | 91.1 |
| 2013 | 97.2 | 92.9 |
| 2014 | 97.8 | 91.9 |
| 2015 | 96.5 | 91.4 |
| 2016 | 97.2 | 92.7 |
| 2017 | 97.1 | 91.7 |
| 2018 | 92.5 | 92.6 |
| 2019 | 94.6 | 94.8 |
| 2020 | 94.3 | 94.3 |
| 2021 | 93.9 | 93.7 |
| 2022 | 94.7 | 94.0 |
| 2023 | 94.6 | 94.2 |
| 2024 | 96.4 | 96.0 |
Housing (rents)
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 58.1 | 49.0 |
| 2009 | 49.1 | 51.3 |
| 2010 | 54.9 | 55.1 |
| 2011 | 56.3 | 53.7 |
| 2012 | 48.2 | 49.1 |
| 2013 | 59.1 | 53.5 |
| 2014 | 50.7 | 48.3 |
| 2015 | 57.9 | 55.3 |
| 2016 | 50.0 | 53.9 |
| 2017 | 51.8 | 54.6 |
| 2018 | 58.8 | 56.6 |
| 2019 | 45.3 | 58.2 |
| 2020 | 52.3 | 54.9 |
| 2021 | 49.7 | 49.3 |
| 2022 | 55.4 | 45.0 |
| 2023 | 58.5 | 48.0 |
| 2024 | 58.1 | 48.8 |
Utilities
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.2 | 73.2 |
| 2009 | 92.2 | 72.8 |
| 2010 | 93.8 | 74.9 |
| 2011 | 94.0 | 78.2 |
| 2012 | 94.5 | 81.8 |
| 2013 | 92.2 | 81.3 |
| 2014 | 93.3 | 85.0 |
| 2015 | 92.8 | 87.2 |
| 2016 | 94.0 | 87.8 |
| 2017 | 92.1 | 89.3 |
| 2018 | 88.0 | 80.6 |
| 2019 | 87.5 | 79.5 |
| 2020 | 85.6 | 77.8 |
| 2021 | 86.8 | 81.1 |
| 2022 | 88.4 | 84.0 |
| 2023 | 89.8 | 82.3 |
| 2024 | 84.7 | 76.9 |
Other services
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.6 | 95.5 |
| 2009 | 98.2 | 93.1 |
| 2010 | 100.0 | 94.7 |
| 2011 | 101.5 | 96.2 |
| 2012 | 101.8 | 98.0 |
| 2013 | 100.6 | 98.6 |
| 2014 | 100.4 | 99.2 |
| 2015 | 101.0 | 97.9 |
| 2016 | 102.2 | 96.3 |
| 2017 | 100.8 | 94.6 |
| 2018 | 95.9 | 96.2 |
| 2019 | 96.9 | 96.7 |
| 2020 | 96.5 | 96.2 |
| 2021 | 96.1 | 96.2 |
| 2022 | 97.1 | 97.0 |
| 2023 | 98.2 | 97.9 |
| 2024 | 96.7 | 96.9 |
Rent and home values
Typical asking rent: $1,151 in Paducah vs $1,082 in Decatur
Typical asking rent for a new lease, dollars per month. Quarterly.
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
- United States
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (typical asking rent, all homes, smoothed), through September 2026. Data Provided by Zillow Group.
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | – | – | $1,145 |
| Jun 2015 | – | – | $1,170 |
| Sep 2015 | – | – | $1,181 |
| Dec 2015 | – | – | $1,182 |
| Mar 2016 | – | – | $1,195 |
| Jun 2016 | – | – | $1,219 |
| Sep 2016 | – | – | $1,225 |
| Dec 2016 | – | – | $1,222 |
| Mar 2017 | – | – | $1,245 |
| Jun 2017 | – | – | $1,270 |
| Sep 2017 | – | – | $1,276 |
| Dec 2017 | – | – | $1,275 |
| Mar 2018 | – | – | $1,296 |
| Jun 2018 | – | – | $1,320 |
| Sep 2018 | – | – | $1,327 |
| Dec 2018 | – | – | $1,329 |
| Mar 2019 | – | – | $1,349 |
| Jun 2019 | – | – | $1,376 |
| Sep 2019 | – | – | $1,383 |
| Dec 2019 | – | – | $1,381 |
| Mar 2020 | – | – | $1,402 |
| Jun 2020 | – | – | $1,406 |
| Sep 2020 | – | – | $1,410 |
| Dec 2020 | – | – | $1,407 |
| Mar 2021 | – | – | $1,443 |
| Jun 2021 | – | – | $1,512 |
| Sep 2021 | – | – | $1,590 |
| Dec 2021 | – | – | $1,622 |
| Mar 2022 | $849 | – | $1,661 |
| Jun 2022 | $896 | – | $1,721 |
| Sep 2022 | $906 | – | $1,748 |
| Dec 2022 | $919 | – | $1,735 |
| Mar 2023 | $949 | – | $1,757 |
| Jun 2023 | $965 | – | $1,785 |
| Sep 2023 | $987 | – | $1,797 |
| Dec 2023 | $995 | – | $1,786 |
| Mar 2024 | $1,001 | – | $1,807 |
| Jun 2024 | $1,027 | – | $1,837 |
| Sep 2024 | $1,027 | – | $1,845 |
| Dec 2024 | $1,012 | $1,052 | $1,836 |
| Mar 2025 | $1,035 | $1,016 | $1,860 |
| Jun 2025 | $1,069 | $1,049 | $1,880 |
| Sep 2025 | $1,056 | $1,062 | $1,881 |
| Dec 2025 | $1,043 | $1,104 | $1,873 |
| Mar 2026 | $1,063 | $1,087 | $1,894 |
| Jun 2026 | $1,097 | $1,131 | $1,921 |
| Sep 2026 | $1,082 | $1,151 | $1,932 |
Typical home value: $173,000 in Paducah vs $227,000 in Decatur
Typical home value, dollars. Quarterly.
- Decatur, AL
- Paducah, KY
- United States
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (typical home value, middle tier, smoothed, seasonally adjusted), through September 2026. Data Provided by Zillow Group.
Show the numbers
| Decatur, AL | Paducah, KY | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | $124K | $100K | $189K |
| Jun 2015 | $127K | $102K | $192K |
| Sep 2015 | $128K | $103K | $195K |
| Dec 2015 | $129K | $104K | $199K |
| Mar 2016 | $130K | $107K | $202K |
| Jun 2016 | $130K | $107K | $204K |
| Sep 2016 | $131K | $106K | $206K |
| Dec 2016 | $133K | $107K | $209K |
| Mar 2017 | $135K | $106K | $213K |
| Jun 2017 | $136K | $106K | $216K |
| Sep 2017 | $136K | $108K | $219K |
| Dec 2017 | $138K | $109K | $223K |
| Mar 2018 | $141K | $110K | $227K |
| Jun 2018 | $141K | $112K | $230K |
| Sep 2018 | $142K | $112K | $234K |
| Dec 2018 | $144K | $113K | $236K |
| Mar 2019 | $149K | $115K | $239K |
| Jun 2019 | $152K | $117K | $242K |
| Sep 2019 | $154K | $117K | $244K |
| Dec 2019 | $157K | $120K | $247K |
| Mar 2020 | $161K | $122K | $252K |
| Jun 2020 | $165K | $125K | $255K |
| Sep 2020 | $168K | $127K | $260K |
| Dec 2020 | $174K | $131K | $271K |
| Mar 2021 | $181K | $131K | $282K |
| Jun 2021 | $189K | $134K | $296K |
| Sep 2021 | $197K | $136K | $306K |
| Dec 2021 | $203K | $139K | $314K |
| Mar 2022 | $207K | $145K | $330K |
| Jun 2022 | $213K | $147K | $346K |
| Sep 2022 | $214K | $149K | $348K |
| Dec 2022 | $211K | $152K | $345K |
| Mar 2023 | $211K | $155K | $343K |
| Jun 2023 | $216K | $160K | $347K |
| Sep 2023 | $218K | $160K | $352K |
| Dec 2023 | $218K | $161K | $354K |
| Mar 2024 | $218K | $160K | $357K |
| Jun 2024 | $223K | $163K | $361K |
| Sep 2024 | $224K | $163K | $361K |
| Dec 2024 | $225K | $166K | $363K |
| Mar 2025 | $226K | $174K | $364K |
| Jun 2025 | $226K | $177K | $362K |
| Sep 2025 | $225K | $177K | $362K |
| Dec 2025 | $227K | $173K | $364K |
| Mar 2026 | $228K | $174K | $366K |
| Jun 2026 | $228K | $171K | $365K |
| Sep 2026 | $227K | $173K | $366K |
More about each city
What this comparison leaves out
- Taxes. State and local income, sales and property taxes can change the result a lot, especially between states.
- Neighborhoods. These are metro-wide averages; a city center and its outer suburbs can differ by more than two metros do.
- Your own spending mix. The default uses an average household. Use the housing slider above if rent is a bigger share of your budget.
- Timing. BEA price levels are for 2024; Zillow figures are monthly and newer.