City comparison
Monroe, LA is about 450 miles (750 km) from Owensboro, KY in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 550 miles, or about 9 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Monroe, LA to Owensboro, KY takes about 55 min, covering roughly 450 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Owensboro has a population of 60,019, vs 47,631 in Monroe — about 1.3× larger by population. By land area, Monroe covers about 30 sq mi vs 21 sq mi for Owensboro.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Monroe | Owensboro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $790/mo | $888/mo | 12.4% higher in Owensboro |
| Median home value | $158,200 | $151,800 | 4.2% higher in Monroe |
| Median household income | $36,550 | $51,982 | 42.2% higher in Owensboro |
| Groceries index | 94.1 | 96.5 | 2.5% higher in Owensboro |
| Utilities index | 74.3 | 76.9 | 3.6% higher in Owensboro |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 97.2 | 1.1% higher in Owensboro |
| Healthcare index | 95.6 | 96.7 | 1.1% higher in Owensboro |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Monroe, you'd need $108,656 in Owensboro to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Monroe, LA is about 8% cheaper overall than Owensboro, KY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 28% higher in Owensboro than in Monroe. If you earn $80,000 in Monroe, you'd need about $86,925 in Owensboro to keep the same standard of living.