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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Kansas beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Wichita stands out at 87 on the index, with rent of $1,125/month and household income of $63,072. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#1 Ranked: Wichita — cost index 87, rent $1,125/mo, income $63,072
Wichita rent up 4% over the past year
4 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Kansas beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Wichita stands out at 87 on the index, with rent of $1,125/month and household income of $63,072. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The utilities sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 90 (the top-10 average here) means utilities costs are about 10% below the national median. Wichita leads at 80, followed by Topeka (80) and Overland Park (100). Note: a low utilities index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
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.
It checks most boxes — but the healthcare costs are the asterisk. In Wichita, the healthcare index sits at 90 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
The real story isn't in the ranking — it's in the details below. Wichita rent up 4% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Wichita has increased from $1,085 to $1,125/mo over the past 12 months — a 4% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Why Wichita ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 87 on the cost index, residents save roughly 25% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,125/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — while the median household pulls in $63,072/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 68, though Healthcare (90) lags behind. Home prices average $198,074 — $269,296 below the national median.
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 — this is the part where it gets real — . Income: $55,902/year. 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 where the math gets real for actual people.
197,089 residents · Kansas
What does daily life actually cost in Overland Park? Start with the 19% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 120) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $103,838 and homes at $470,417 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
147,461 residents · Kansas
What does daily life actually cost in Olathe? Start with the 19% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 120) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $112,232 and homes at $425,657 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
Cities are ranked by their utilities cost sub-index within Kansas. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Wichita ranks #1 in Kansas for this analysis with a cost index of 87 and median income of $63,072.
Wichita, KS has the lowest utilities index at 80, compared to the national average of 100.
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.