Kansas City, MO vs Manchester, NH
Moving from Kansas City to Manchester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($329,641 → $526,340 median home) and taxes.
Kansas City vs Manchester 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 $113,325 in Manchester, NH (+$13,325).
Livability — Kansas City, MO: 67 · Manchester, NH: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,654 sqft in Kansas City vs 1,710 sqft in Manchester ($188 vs $292 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kansas City, MO | Manchester, NH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,576 | $25,632 | +$7,056 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $4,935 | +$108 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $2,955 | −$435 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $2,940 | +$1,428 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,000 | −$1,400 |
| Taxes | $10,526 | $6,681 | −$3,845 |
| Total | $41,232 | $44,143 | +$2,912 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kansas City, MO | Manchester, NH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 105.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.18% | 3.69% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.9% | 4.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 37 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $6.01 |
| Median home price | $329,641 | $526,340 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | 2.2% |
| Price per square foot | $188 | $292 |
| Median rent | $1,548 | $2,136 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.80% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 27.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 120 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 81 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |