Wichita, KS vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Wichita to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Las Vegas 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 $109,914 in Las Vegas, NV (+$9,914).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($119 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $20,844 | +$6,432 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,841 | +$17 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $4,740 | +$1,465 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,548 | −$156 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,300 | −$2,000 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $4,779 | −$6,264 |
| Total | $38,558 | $38,052 | −$506 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |