Wichita, KS vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Wichita to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Seattle 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 $126,068 in Seattle, WA (+$26,068).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($119 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $26,784 | +$12,372 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $5,405 | +$581 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $4,075 | +$800 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,548 | −$156 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,500 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $8,826 | −$2,217 |
| Total | $38,558 | $48,138 | +$9,580 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |