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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The income-cost paradox: Olathe pays $112,232 — 40% above the national median — while costing just 105 on the index. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 4-city ranking for 2026 (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Olathe — cost index 105, rent $1,792/mo, income $112,232
Olathe: high income, low cost — a rare combo
4 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The income-cost paradox: Olathe pays $112,232 — 40% above the national median — while costing just 105 on the index. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 4-city ranking for 2026 (that's pre-tax, of course).
Here's Olathe by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 105. Rent: $1,792/month. Income: $112,232/year. Home price: $425,657. Population: 147,461. The strongest category is Healthcare at 101; the most expensive is Housing at 105. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $1,236 per year vs. the national median. That's a margin of safety most budgets don't have.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Olathe: $1,792/mo, Overland Park: $1,666/mo, Topeka: $1,169/mo. The cheapest city here is $103 under the national median — that's $1,236/year in savings on rent alone.
Olathe: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Olathe earns above the national median ($112,232 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 105 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
None of this exists in a vacuum, though. The 4 cities we track in Kansas paint a clearly affordable picture. Average cost index: 84. Median rent: $1,438/month. Household income: $83,761. Kansas is known for plains affordability with steady incomes — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
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.
Olathe earns above the national median ($112,232 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 105 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
Rent in #1-ranked Olathe has increased from $1,747 to $1,792/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
147,461 residents · Kansas
The #1 spot goes to Olathe, and the breakdown explains why. And depending on your situation, renters here pay $1,792/month — saving renters $1,236 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 101, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 105. At a 19% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
197,089 residents · Kansas
Overland Park earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 97 cost index sits 14 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, Housing leads the way at 97, while Healthcare trails at 99.
125,475 residents · Kansas
A closer look at Topeka: the cost index of 68 breaks down to a Housing index of 68 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 94 (weakest). Median rent is $1,169/month — 38% below the national median — while household income sits at $55,902, meaning locals spend about 25% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Wichita earns its position at #4 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 66 cost index sits 45 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 66, while Healthcare trails at 93.
Cities with the highest rents in Kansas are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. 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.
Olathe ranks #1 in Kansas for this analysis with a cost index of 105 and median income of $112,232.
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.
Olathe (ranked #1) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,792/mo, while Wichita (ranked #4) has a cost index of 66 and rent of $1,125/mo — a 39-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 Olathe is $1,792/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $103 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Olathe is $425,657, which is 3.8× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.