Wichita, KS vs Cleveland, OH
Moving from Wichita to Cleveland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $252,210 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Cleveland 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 $102,213 in Cleveland, OH (+$2,213).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Cleveland, OH: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 3,270 sqft in Cleveland ($119 vs $153 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Cleveland, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $17,532 | +$3,120 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,830 | +$6 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,025 | −$250 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,100 | +$396 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,300 | −$2,000 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $9,518 | −$1,525 |
| Total | $38,558 | $38,305 | −$253 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Cleveland, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 91.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 5.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $252,210 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $153 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,461 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 1.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |