Detroit, MI vs Wichita, KS
Moving from Detroit to Wichita? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $225,557 median home) and taxes.
Detroit 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 Detroit, MI, you'd need about $91,072 in Wichita, KS (−$8,928).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Wichita, KS: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 4,212 sqft in Wichita ($163 vs $119 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Wichita, KS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $14,412 | −$3,588 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,824 | −$72 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,275 | −$1,300 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,704 | −$612 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $3,300 | +$2,000 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $11,043 | +$1,496 |
| Total | $40,634 | $38,558 | −$2,076 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Wichita, KS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 89.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 5.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $225,557 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 3.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 3.7% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $119 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,201 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.70% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.70% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.33% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 1.93% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 20 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $3,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 410 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |