Kansas City, MO vs Fargo, ND
Moving from Kansas City to Fargo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($329,641 → $327,854 median home) and taxes.
Kansas City vs Fargo 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 $95,635 in Fargo, ND (−$4,365).
Livability — Kansas City, MO: 67 · Fargo, ND: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,654 sqft in Kansas City vs 2,592 sqft in Fargo ($188 vs $193 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kansas City, MO | Fargo, ND | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,576 | $13,872 | −$4,704 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $4,850 | +$22 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,130 | −$260 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,332 | −$180 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,100 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $10,526 | $8,083 | −$2,443 |
| Total | $41,232 | $33,367 | −$7,865 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kansas City, MO | Fargo, ND |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.18% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.9% | 8.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $329,641 | $327,854 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | 3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $188 | $193 |
| Median rent | $1,548 | $1,156 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.04% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.20% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 18 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 12.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 290 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | -2 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |