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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $30K salary, 0 cities (0%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Kansas using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Wichita comes out…
396,119 residents · Kansas
Dive into Wichita's numbers: cost index 66 (45 points below national average), rent $1,125/month, income $63,072, and a home price of $198,074. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 66, while Healthcare runs 93. With 396,119 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
125,475 residents · Kansas
Dive into Topeka's numbers: cost index 68 (43 points below national average), rent $1,169/month, income $55,902, and a home price of $186,856. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 68, while Healthcare runs 94. With 125,475 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
197,089 residents · Kansas
Why Overland Park ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 14% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,666/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — while the median household pulls in $103,838/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 97, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $470,417 — $3,047 above the national median. A real contender.
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, Healthcare (index 101) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 105) 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.
#1 Ranked: Wichita — cost index 66, rent $1,125/mo, income $63,072
0 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $30K
0 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $30K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $30K salary, 0 cities (0%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Kansas using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Wichita comes out on top — here's the full ranking and analysis.
Why Wichita ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 66 on the cost index, residents save roughly 45% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,125/month while the median household pulls in $63,072/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 66, though Healthcare (93) lags behind. Home prices average $198,074 — $269,296 below the national median.
Real talk: Bottom line: Wichita leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $30K salary, 0 cities (0%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market.
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.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Wichita | 5.7% | 8.7% | 1.28% | $22,627 |
2Topeka | 5.7% | 8.7% | 1.28% | $22,627 |
3Overland Park | 5.7% | 8.7% | 1.28% | $22,627 |
4Olathe | 5.7% | 8.7% | 1.28% | $22,627 |
We model what a $30K salary looks like after taxes in each city: federal income tax (marginal brackets), FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. Then we compare take-home against local rent and costs to determine where the salary stretches furthest. 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 66 and median income of $63,072.
Yes. On a $30K salary in Wichita, rent would consume about 45% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. It's tight — consider a roommate or nearby suburb.
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 66 and rent of $1,125/mo, while Olathe (ranked #4) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,792/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 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.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 5.7% state income tax, estimated take-home on $30K in Wichita is approximately $22,627/year ($1,886/month). After median rent of $1,125/month, you'd have roughly $9,127/year for all other expenses.
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.