Wichita, KS vs Los Angeles, CA
Moving from Wichita to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Los Angeles 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 $128,324 in Los Angeles, CA (+$28,324).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($119 vs $646 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Los Angeles, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $34,908 | +$20,496 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $5,354 | +$530 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $5,125 | +$1,850 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,804 | +$2,100 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,500 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $21,708 | +$10,665 |
| Total | $38,558 | $72,399 | +$33,841 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 114.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 6.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | -1.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 80 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $6.53 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $968,608 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 10.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $646 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $2,909 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 0.69% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |