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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Olathe pulls it off. At $112,232 median household income and a 105 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 48% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 4 cities in Kansas using 2026 data.
#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
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Olathe pulls it off. At $112,232 median household income and a 105 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 48% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 4 cities in Kansas using 2026 data.
Dive into Olathe's numbers: cost index 105 (6 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 — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 101, while Housing runs 105. With 147,461 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Olathe (index 105, rent $1,792); Overland Park (index 97, rent $1,666); Wichita (index 66, rent $1,125). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.
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.
The counter-argument is worth hearing: Kansas — plains affordability with steady incomes. The 4 cities we track here average a cost index of 84 and median income of $83,761. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,438/month, which is $457 less than the national median.
Bottom line: Olathe 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.
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
Dive into Olathe's numbers: cost index 105 (6 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 — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 101, while Housing runs 105. With 147,461 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
197,089 residents · Kansas
The #2 spot goes to Overland Park, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,666/month — saving renters $2,748 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 97, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 99. At a 19% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Here's Wichita by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 66. Rent: $1,125/month. Income: $63,072/year. Home price: $198,074. Population: 396,119. The strongest category is Housing at 66; the most expensive is Healthcare at 93. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $9,240 per year vs. the national median. That's a margin of safety most budgets don't have.
125,475 residents · Kansas
The #4 spot goes to Topeka, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,169/month — saving renters $8,712 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 68, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 94. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
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 Topeka (ranked #4) has a cost index of 68 and rent of $1,169/mo — a 37-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.