Worcester, MA vs Kansas City, MO
Moving from Worcester to Kansas City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($482,611 → $329,641 median home) and taxes.
Worcester vs Kansas City 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 Worcester, MA, you'd need about $90,504 in Kansas City, MO (−$9,496).
Livability — Worcester, MA: 56 · Kansas City, MO: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,761 sqft in Worcester vs 2,654 sqft in Kansas City ($284 vs $188 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Worcester, MA | Kansas City, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,184 | $18,576 | −$7,608 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $4,828 | −$110 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,390 | +$180 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,512 | −$1,668 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,400 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $16,011 | $10,526 | −$5,484 |
| Total | $55,322 | $41,232 | −$14,091 |
Side by side
| Metric | Worcester, MA | Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.0 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.78% | 4.18% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 4.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.86 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $482,611 | $329,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.8% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $284 | $188 |
| Median rent | $2,182 | $1,548 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 29 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $108 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $71 | $184 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $86 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 49.2 | 18.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |