Wichita, KS vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Wichita to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Atlanta 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 Wichita, KS, you'd need about $112,368 in Atlanta, GA (+$12,368).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($119 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $22,080 | +$7,668 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,926 | +$102 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,515 | +$240 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,656 | −$48 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $2,100 | −$1,200 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $10,533 | −$510 |
| Total | $38,558 | $44,810 | +$6,252 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |