Photo: Warren LeMay · CC BY-SA 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Fort Thomas costs more to live in than 65% of U.S. towns
It ranks #116 of 142 in Kentucky for affordability. Up 6.5% in a year, 62% above the Kentucky typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area ($81K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Fort Thomas’ area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($81K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 16% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 43% of renters.
In dollars
- $374Ktypical home, 62% above the Kentucky typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,370a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 95prices across the Cincinnati metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 88)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$81K, Cincinnati-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 43%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Kentucky: 45%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Fort Thomas, in brief
Most homes are under contract within two weeks
In May, 39% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 63% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.3 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 2.9 across Kentucky: 29 listings for 23 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
A high property tax rate
Owners pay about 1.29% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.75% across Kentucky. The median bill is $4,313 (Kentucky: $1,544). On the typical home, that’s about $400 a month. Property taxes ↓
The priciest town in its area
Fort Thomas tops the six neighboring towns with a Zillow value. The next most expensive is Newport at $242K; the least, Dayton at $199K. Vs. neighbors ↓
Still rising while Kentucky slips
Over the past year the typical Fort Thomas home gained 6.5%, while the Kentucky typical home lost 0.3%. Price trend ↓
Very little new building
Fort Thomas permitted 168 new homes over the past 10 years, about 1 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Kentucky, the pace in 2025 was 6.5. In 2025, Fort Thomas permitted 7. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Fort Thomas’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fort Thomas is more affordable than 35% of U.S. towns, #116 of 142 in Kentucky. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Kentucky: up 20.7% in five years, against 24.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 6.5% in a year
Faster than Kentucky (-0.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Fort Thomas | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $234,000 | $130,000 |
| 2018 | $246,000 | $137,000 |
| 2019 | $259,000 | $145,000 |
| 2020 | $264,000 | $154,000 |
| 2021 | $298,000 | $172,000 |
| 2022 | $311,000 | $190,000 |
| 2023 | $327,000 | $206,000 |
| 2024 | $332,000 | $215,000 |
| 2025 | $345,000 | $227,000 |
| 2026 | $363,000 | $231,000 |
| September 2026 | $374,000 | $231,000 |
A typical Fort Thomas home worth $231K in October 2016 is worth about $374K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 4.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Fort Thomas’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $75K short of a typical Fort Thomas home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,370 a month here, $990 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Fort Thomas’s typical property tax (1.29% 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 $1,370
Renters already here pay a median of $1,126, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Cincinnati, OH-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.
7 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 7 new homes in Fort Thomas in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $6.4 million to build. That's 0.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Kentucky (6.5). Over the past 10 years, Fort Thomas has permitted 168 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Fort Thomas gained 1,113 residents while 289 new homes were permitted: about 3.9 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Kentucky: 1.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 5 | 5 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2025 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $6.4 million |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $8.2 million |
| 2023 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $12.5 million |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2021 | 14 | 11 | 3 | $5.2 million |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2018 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $7.4 million |
| 2017 | 46 | 10 | 36 | $7.7 million |
| 2016 | 46 | 22 | 24 | $9.5 million |
| 2015 | 72 | 24 | 48 | $12.2 million |
| 2014 | 23 | 20 | 3 | $6.8 million |
| 2013 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $7.6 million |
| 2012 | 20 | 17 | 3 | $6.5 million |
| 2011 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $3.8 million |
| 2010 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $6.4 million |
| 2009 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2008 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $6.5 million |
| 2007 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2006 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2005 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2004 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $2.5 million |
| 2003 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2002 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2001 | 12 | 7 | 5 | $2.2 million |
| 2000 | 23 | 13 | 10 | $3.2 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Kentucky norm
The median bill is $4,313 (Kentucky: $1,544), 1.29% 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 Fort Thomas
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Cincinnati, OH-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 | 95 | KY 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | KY 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 91 | KY 75 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | 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.
Fort Thomas vs. its neighbors
Of the 7 towns here with a Zillow value, Fort Thomas has the 7th-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Thomas | C+ | $374K | $335K | 1.29% | $1,370 |
| Newport | B | $242K | $218K | 1.10% | $1,370 |
| Dayton | B | $199K | $164K | 1.31% | $1,290 |
| Southgate | B | $218K | $191K | 1.17% | $1,370 |
| Highland Heights | A | $204K | $170K | 0.99% | $1,400 |
| Bellevue | B− | $241K | $207K | 1.12% | $1,350 |
| Woodlawn | – | $229K | $202K | 0.83% | $1,370 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Fort Thomas
Is Fort Thomas expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fort Thomas costs more than 65% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #116 of 142 in Kentucky. The typical home costs 4.1 years of the median household income of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area ($81K).
How much does a house cost in Fort Thomas?
About $374K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 6.5% in a year. The Kentucky typical home is $231K.
What salary do you need to live in Fort Thomas?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $101,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,360 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $55,000.
How much is rent in Fort Thomas?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,370 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,126 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Fort Thomas?
The median bill is $4,313 a year, 1.29% of the median home value (Kentucky: $1,544, 0.75%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Fort Thomas going up?
Yes: up 6.5% in the past year and 20.7% in five years, against 24.7% across Kentucky (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Fort Thomas buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. 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.