Minneapolis, MN vs Wichita, KS
Moving from Minneapolis to Wichita? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $225,557 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Wichita 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 Minneapolis, MN, you'd need about $85,733 in Wichita, KS (−$14,267).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Wichita, KS: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 4,212 sqft in Wichita ($219 vs $119 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Wichita, KS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $14,412 | −$6,240 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,824 | −$403 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,275 | −$100 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,704 | −$72 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $3,300 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $11,043 | −$5,302 |
| Total | $49,575 | $38,558 | −$11,017 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Wichita, KS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 89.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 5.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $225,557 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 3.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 3.7% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $119 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,201 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 8.70% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 5.70% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 1.33% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 1.93% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 20 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $3,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 410 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |