Cost of Living in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

Published: September 17, 2020 6:01 pm

Cost of Living in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

Breckinridge Center is a Census-designated place in Union County, Kentucky, with a population of 2,363. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Breckinridge Center is $34,928 a year — greater than the annual cost of living for Kentucky of $32,557 yet less than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Breckinridge Center and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Housing Costs in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

Housing is one of the largest components of cost of living. In Breckinridge Center, the median home value is $55,000, less than the national median home value of $204,900.

Renting is a sometimes lower cost alternative to homeownership. In Breckinridge Center, some 66.30% of occupied homes are rented, greater than the 36.2% national renter rate. The typical renter in Breckinridge Center spends $645 a month on housing, greater than the $1,023 national median monthly rent.

In addition to home value, one of the largest determinants of housing affordability is area income. While nationwide the price of a typical U.S. home is 3.4 times the $60,293 U.S. median household income, housing affordability ratios range from approximately 1.0 in the least expensive cities to more than 10.0 in the country's most expensive markets. In Breckinridge Center, the median household income is $32,313, 1.7 times the median home value.

Transportation Costs in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Breckinridge Center, 54.50% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 88.10% of workers commute to jobs outside of Breckinridge Center, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Breckinridge Center is 15.9 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Breckinridge Center spends $11,264 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are slightly higher than they are on average nationwide in Breckinridge Center and also well above what they are across Kentucky as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $4,611 per year, compared to an average of $3,679 across Kentucky and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Breckinridge Center, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $10,344, about $2,600 less than the comparable average of $12,978 across all of Kentucky. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Breckinridge Center, a single adult spends an average of $2,817 on food annually, and a family of four spends $8,136 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Kentucky and the U.S., respectively, are $2,932 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $8,467 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky pays $6,257 annually — a relatively high sum compared to the the statewide average of $5,723.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Breckinridge Center residents live in a state with a low average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Kentucky total $2,699 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

Cost of Living in Breckinridge Center, Kentucky