Wichita, KS vs Kansas City, MO
Moving from Wichita to Kansas City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $329,641 median home) and taxes.
Wichita 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 Wichita, KS, you'd need about $104,229 in Kansas City, MO (+$4,229).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Kansas City, MO: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,654 sqft in Kansas City ($119 vs $188 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Kansas City, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $18,576 | +$4,164 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,828 | +$3 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,390 | +$115 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,512 | −$192 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $2,400 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $10,526 | −$517 |
| Total | $38,558 | $41,232 | +$2,673 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 4.18% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 4.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $329,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $188 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,548 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |