What it's like to live in Paris
Paris is a small city in Kentucky with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Paris deals with household incomes below the national average, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Paris compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Paris
Based on Paris's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,664
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $33,280 a year
- 35% of Paris renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$37,260
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,630
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 41% below US
$832/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $832 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $186,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $186,300 · 35% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Bourbon County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Bourbon County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 34% below US
216 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1228/100k · Paris Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 31% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Camp Nelson National Monument (33 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Paris's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and cold winters. A year of median rent ($832/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Paris
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