Kansas City, MO vs Boston, MA
Moving from Kansas City to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($329,641 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Kansas City vs Boston 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 Kansas City, MO, you'd need about $118,444 in Boston, MA (+$18,444).
Livability — Kansas City, MO: 67 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,654 sqft in Kansas City vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($188 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kansas City, MO | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,576 | $38,532 | +$19,956 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $5,040 | +$212 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,210 | −$180 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $3,180 | +$1,668 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,800 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $10,526 | $17,694 | +$7,168 |
| Total | $41,232 | $69,455 | +$28,224 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kansas City, MO | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.18% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.9% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $329,641 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $188 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,548 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |