Kansas City, MO vs Richmond, VA
Moving from Kansas City to Richmond? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($329,641 → $397,705 median home) and taxes.
Kansas City vs Richmond 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 $105,508 in Richmond, VA (+$5,508).
Livability — Kansas City, MO: 67 · Richmond, VA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,654 sqft in Kansas City vs 2,514 sqft in Richmond ($188 vs $199 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kansas City, MO | Richmond, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,576 | $21,156 | +$2,580 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $4,853 | +$26 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,080 | −$310 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,872 | +$360 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,500 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $10,526 | $10,041 | −$485 |
| Total | $41,232 | $42,502 | +$1,270 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kansas City, MO | Richmond, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.18% | 4.78% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.9% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $329,641 | $397,705 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $188 | $199 |
| Median rent | $1,548 | $1,763 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 0.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |