Cost of living in Murray, KY — Housing, Rent & Index

All states·Kentucky·Murray·Cost of living

Housing, rent, and a comparison to the US average.

$195,953
Median home value
$1,207/mo
Median rent
55
Cost index (US=100)
-4.3%
Home YoY change

The median home value in Murray, KY is $195,953 as of 2026-04. That places Murray below the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 55 versus a national baseline of 100.

Over the past 12 months, the median home value in Murray has fallen 4.3%, and over the past five years it has averaged +5.2% annual growth. The current price sits -4.4% from its 5-year peak in 2025-05.

Renters pay a median of $1,207 per month in Murray. Rents have changed +7.2% over the last year and averaged — per year over five years.

Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in Murray are shaped by state and local taxes, utility rates, transportation, and groceries. This page focuses on the housing component, which is the largest single line in most household budgets and the easiest to compare across cities using consistent national data.

Housing

Median home value$195,953
1-year change-4.3%
5-year price growth+5.2%
10-year price growth+7.6%
vs 5-year peak-4.4%

Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).

How Murray compares

Cost index55 (below US)
Median home vs US (~$355k)-44.8%
Population18,567
Momentum score63 (Rising)

Cost index is currently a housing-only proxy; full BLS basket coming with ACS pull.

Affordability reality

Prices only mean something against local pay. Here’s how Murray’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.

Median rent vs income33% of local median income
Home price-to-income4.4× local median income

At $1,207/mo, rent eats about 33% of the local median household income of $44,091 — above the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.

The median home runs about 4.4× the local median income (stretched).

Daily life in Murray

Climate

86°/66° summer42°/26° winter188 sunny days12″ snow/yr50″ rain/yr

Summers run mild (highs near 86°F) and winters are chilly (highs near 42°F), with about 12″ of snow a year.

Natural-hazard & insurance risk

Flood: highTornado: highHurricane: very lowWildfire: very lowEarthquake: moderate

Insurance heads-up: in Murray, flood damage isn’t covered by standard home insurance — budget for a separate NFIP/private flood policy and check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.

Getting around

The average commute is 14 min — shorter than the US average of ~27 min; 7% of workers are remote; 42% own their home.

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.