Richmond, VA vs Kansas City, MO
Moving from Richmond to Kansas City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($397,705 → $329,641 median home) and taxes.
Richmond 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 Richmond, VA, you'd need about $94,779 in Kansas City, MO (−$5,221).
Livability — Richmond, VA: 66 · Kansas City, MO: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,514 sqft in Richmond vs 2,654 sqft in Kansas City ($199 vs $188 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Richmond, VA | Kansas City, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,156 | $18,576 | −$2,580 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,828 | −$26 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,390 | +$310 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $1,512 | −$360 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $2,400 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $10,041 | $10,526 | +$486 |
| Total | $42,502 | $41,232 | −$1,270 |
Side by side
| Metric | Richmond, VA | Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.3 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.78% | 4.18% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 4.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.60 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $397,705 | $329,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.3% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $199 | $188 |
| Median rent | $1,763 | $1,548 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.76% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |