Wichita, KS vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Wichita to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Phoenix 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 $117,060 in Phoenix, AZ (+$17,060).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($119 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $20,904 | +$6,492 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,919 | +$95 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,960 | +$685 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,668 | −$36 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,800 | −$1,500 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $7,280 | −$3,763 |
| Total | $38,558 | $40,531 | +$1,973 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |