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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 4 cities across Kansas for that equation. Overland Park — cost index 97, utilities 99, rent $1,666/mo — leads.
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 4 cities across Kansas for that equation. Overland Park — cost index 97, utilities 99, rent $1,666/mo — leads.
Here's Overland Park by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 97. Rent: $1,666/month. Income: $103,838/year. Home price: $470,417. Population: 197,089. The strongest category is Housing at 97; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,748 per year vs. the national median. There's real money on the table here.
Remote workers profit from geographic arbitrage. Our model scores cost index (20pts), local income as a proxy for economic infrastructure (15pts), and utility costs (10pts) — because when your living room is your office, reliable affordable internet and power matter. Overland Park scores highest with a 97 cost index and 99 utilities index. Wichita offers even cheaper utilities.
Bottom line: Overland Park 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.
#1 Ranked: Overland Park — cost index 97, rent $1,666/mo, income $103,838
Overland Park: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 97, utilities index 99, income $103,838 — maximizing geographic arbitrage
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
197,089 residents · Kansas
Dive into Overland Park's numbers: cost index 97 (14 points below national average), rent $1,666/month, income $103,838, and a home price of $470,417. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 97, while Healthcare runs 99. With 197,089 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Why Wichita ranks #2: 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.
125,475 residents · Kansas
The #3 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.
147,461 residents · Kansas
The #4 spot goes to Olathe, and the breakdown explains why. 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.
Overland Park ranks #1 in Kansas for this analysis with a cost index of 97 and median income of $103,838.
Overland Park scores highest for remote workers due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,666/mo, and above-average median income of $103,838.
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.
Overland Park (ranked #1) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,666/mo, while Olathe (ranked #4) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,792/mo — a 8-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 Overland Park is $1,666/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $229 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Overland Park is $470,417, which is 4.5× 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.