Kansas City, MO vs Colorado Springs, CO
Moving from Kansas City to Colorado Springs? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($329,641 → $457,300 median home) and taxes.
Kansas City vs Colorado Springs 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 $105,268 in Colorado Springs, CO (+$5,268).
Livability — Kansas City, MO: 67 · Colorado Springs, CO: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,654 sqft in Kansas City vs 2,077 sqft in Colorado Springs ($188 vs $241 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kansas City, MO | Colorado Springs, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,576 | $21,204 | +$2,628 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $4,814 | −$14 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $4,050 | +$660 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,788 | +$276 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,800 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $10,526 | $8,740 | −$1,786 |
| Total | $41,232 | $43,395 | +$2,164 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kansas City, MO | Colorado Springs, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 98.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.18% | 5.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.9% | 8.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $329,641 | $457,300 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $188 | $241 |
| Median rent | $1,548 | $1,767 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 0.41% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |