Wichita, KS vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Wichita to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Columbus 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 $105,825 in Columbus, OH (+$5,825).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($119 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $18,288 | +$3,876 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,706 | −$118 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,025 | −$250 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,100 | +$396 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,300 | −$2,000 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $9,711 | −$1,332 |
| Total | $38,558 | $39,130 | +$572 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,524 |
| 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% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 24 |
| 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 |
| Natural gas / mo | $68 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $92 | $104 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 30.0 | 41.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 13.0 | 28.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 65% | 50% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |