Measured against area pay, Coldstream costs more to live in than 58% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Coldstream have risen about 46% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Louisville/Jefferson County metro earn ($74K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.8 years of metro income, and 42% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,800a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the Louisville/Jefferson County metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 79)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Louisville/Jefferson County-area income
- 38%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 11%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Coldstream?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Coldstream’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Coldstream is more affordable than 42% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 46% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Coldstream rose 46% over the past 5 years, slower than across Kentucky (50%). Last year prices rose 2.6%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Coldstream home at roughly $330,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $330K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Coldstream, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A year’s rent takes 38% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Coldstream’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $42K short of a typical Coldstream home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month here, $180 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Coldstream’s typical property tax (0.91% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800
Renters already here pay a median of $2,313.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs above the Kentucky norm
The median bill is $2,539 (Kentucky: $1,544), 0.91% of a home’s value a year, against 0.75% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Coldstream
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area, or Kentucky. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 93 | KY 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | KY 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 75 | KY 75 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 97 | KY 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Coldstream vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Coldstream. Worthington Hills has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coldstream | C+ | — | $278K | 0.91% | $1,800 |
| Worthington Hills | C+ | — | $224K | 0.80% | $1,800 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Coldstream
Is Coldstream expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Coldstream costs more than 58% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.8 years of the median household income of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area ($74K).
How much is rent in Coldstream?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,800 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,313 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Coldstream?
The median bill is $2,539 a year, 0.91% of the median home value (Kentucky: $1,544, 0.75%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Coldstream buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.