Wichita, KS vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Wichita to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Charlotte 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 $108,837 in Charlotte, NC (+$8,837).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($119 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $20,880 | +$6,468 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,834 | +$10 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,130 | −$145 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,752 | +$48 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $2,000 | −$1,300 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $8,740 | −$2,303 |
| Total | $38,558 | $41,336 | +$2,778 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |