Charlotte, NC vs Wichita, KS
Moving from Charlotte to Wichita? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $225,557 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Wichita at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $91,881 in Wichita, KS (−$8,119).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Wichita, KS: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 4,212 sqft in Wichita ($195 vs $119 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Wichita, KS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $14,412 | −$6,468 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $4,824 | −$10 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,275 | +$145 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,704 | −$48 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $3,300 | +$1,300 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $11,043 | +$2,303 |
| Total | $41,336 | $38,558 | −$2,778 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Wichita, KS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 89.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 5.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $225,557 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 3.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | 3.7% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $119 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $1,201 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 8.70% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.70% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.33% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | 1.93% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 20 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $3,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 410 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |