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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 4 cities across Kansas on rent, cost of living, and population. Wichita ($1,125/mo, 396,119 residents) ranks #1.
#1 Ranked: Wichita — cost index 87, rent $1,125/mo, income $63,072
Wichita rent up 4% over the past year
Singles scoring: rent $1,125/mo (solo housing), cost index 87, population 396,119 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 4 cities across Kansas on rent, cost of living, and population. Wichita ($1,125/mo, 396,119 residents) ranks #1.
Wichita earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 87 cost index sits 25 points below the national baseline, and the $63,072 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $198,074 — $269,296 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 68, while Healthcare trails at 90.
Still, the overall picture holds: Here's the state-level backdrop: Kansas averages a 98 cost index, $1,438/mo rent, and $83,761 income across 4 cities. That's $457 less than the national rent average. Plains affordability with steady incomes — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Wichita earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 87 cost index sits 25 points below the national baseline, and the $63,072 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $198,074 — $269,296 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 68, while Healthcare trails at 90. Not flashy. Just effective.
125,475 residents · Kansas
Here's Topeka by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 87. Rent: $1,169/month. Income: $55,902/year. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Home price: $186,856. Population: 125,475. The strongest category is Housing at 68; the most expensive is Healthcare at 90. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $8,712 per year vs. the national median. This is the kind of number that should get your attention.
197,089 residents · Kansas
Overland Park earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 108 cost index sits 4 points below the national baseline, and the $103,838 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $470,417 — $3,047 above the national median, reflecting the local market dynamics. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 100, while Housing trails at 120.
147,461 residents · Kansas
Dive into Olathe's numbers: cost index 108 (4 points below national average), rent $1,792/month, income $112,232, and a home price of $425,657. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 100, while Housing runs 120. With 147,461 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Wichita ranks #1 in Kansas for this analysis with a cost index of 87 and median income of $63,072.
Wichita scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,125/mo, and competitive median income of $63,072.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Wichita (ranked #1) has a cost index of 87 and rent of $1,125/mo, while Olathe (ranked #4) has a cost index of 108 and rent of $1,792/mo — a 21-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Wichita is $1,125/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $770 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Wichita is $198,074, which is 3.1× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Kansas has a 5.7% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.7%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.28%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.