Phoenix, AZ vs Kansas City, MO
Moving from Phoenix to Kansas City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $329,641 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Kansas City 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $89,040 in Kansas City, MO (−$10,960).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Kansas City, MO: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,654 sqft in Kansas City ($242 vs $188 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Kansas City, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $18,576 | −$2,328 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,828 | −$91 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,390 | −$570 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,512 | −$156 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,400 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $10,526 | +$3,246 |
| Total | $40,531 | $41,232 | +$701 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 4.18% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 4.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $329,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $188 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,548 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $184 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $86 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 18.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |