Wichita, KS vs New York, NY
Moving from Wichita to New York? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $727,625 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs New York 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 $125,972 in New York, NY (+$25,972).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · New York, NY: 44 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 1,099 sqft in New York ($119 vs $455 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | New York, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $42,036 | +$27,624 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $5,415 | +$590 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,895 | +$620 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,180 | +$1,476 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,600 | −$1,700 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $23,496 | +$12,453 |
| Total | $38,558 | $79,622 | +$41,063 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | New York, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 112.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 6.55% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | -1.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $727,625 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 7.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $455 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $3,503 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 1.74% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 36 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |