Cost of living in Wichita, KS
The Wichita, KS metro area (661,217 people) ranks #146 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.
See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Wichita with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Wichita to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Kansas City, MO, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Wichita: $81,300
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,300 in Wichita, KS to match $85,000 in Kansas City, MO ($3,700 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses Missouri and Kansas state income tax; includes Kansas City resident tax $850 (inside city limits).
See the full Missouri to Kansas report
There is no city-to-city report for this move. The state report compares taxes, housing and moving costs.
What things cost in Wichita
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Wichita
On a $70,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $54,969 after 2026 federal tax ($6,570), Social Security and Medicare ($5,355) and Kansas income tax ($3,106).
Housing
| Measure | Wichita area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,010/mo |
| Median home value | $223,700 |
| Median property tax | $2,652/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,573 |
| Median household income | $71,810 |
Climate and jobs in Wichita
In the Wichita area the average January low is 23°F and the average July high 93°F, and the area has about 65 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.1% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $47,630 a year, 7% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 23°F |
| July high | 93°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 65 a year |
| Precipitation | 34 in a year |
| Snowfall | 13 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.1% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $47,630 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 308,570 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Wichita station (USW00003928). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Wichita
A single retiree spends about $2,929 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,438 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Wichita
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Wichita area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 89.6 of 100), with expected losses of about $519 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Kansas.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Wichita?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $69,700 in Wichita. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $40,400, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $67,412.
Is Wichita expensive?
The Wichita metro area's price level is 88.9 (U.S. = 100), #146 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 66.2, 34% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Wichita?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Wichita had a net loss of about 518 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Wichita?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Wichita area (Wichita weather station), the average January low is 23°F and the average July high 93°F. The area has about 65 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 34 inches of precipitation a year and about 13 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Wichita?
The Wichita metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.1% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $47,630 a year in May 2025, 7% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Wichita?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 89.6). The highest relative risks are tornado, hail, ice storm.
Cities with similar prices
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Moving from Kansas