State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Kansas
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Kansas from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 4 metro areas.
- 90.1
- Statewide RPP
- #42
- of 51 states by cost
- 71.2
- Rents RPP
- 4
- Metro areas
Kansas ranks #42 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- rose +0.2 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Nebraska
The verdict
Kansas costs less than 82% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 90.1, 9.9% below the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 71.2
- Nebraska
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.0 points away
- Lawrence
- highest-cost metro, 90.2
- Topeka
- lowest-cost metro, 88.8
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $111,027 when earned in Kansas.
Metro areas in Kansas, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence | 90.2 | 94.0 | 89.3 | 71.6 |
| 2 | Manhattan | 90.2 | 94.0 | 88.4 | 72.0 |
| 3 | Wichita | 88.9 | 94.0 | 88.5 | 66.2 |
| 4 | Topeka | 88.8 | 94.0 | 88.9 | 65.0 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Reading the Kansas Cost of Living Picture
Kansas sits in an affordability lane closest to Nebraska, Kentucky, West Virginia. A lower statewide index does not mean every place or budget category is cheap; it means this state belongs with those peers before a household narrows to a metro. Its category range is 22.9 points: large enough to separate housing-sensitive and service-heavy budgets, but not a single-component outlier.
Kansas captures 4 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Lawrence, KS leads on cost at 90.2, while Topeka, KS sits at the opposite end at 88.8 - a gap of 1.4 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 94.0, for services 88.4, and for rents 71.2. Rents run 18.9 points below the statewide index here, so housing is what pulls the whole figure down — a household that already owns outright captures much less of that discount than a renter does.
Over time, Kansas's statewide index has held steady within 0.2 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $111,027 of national buying power when earned inside Kansas, and a household relocating here would need roughly $90,068 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 4 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Kansas vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
90 Bottom 18% higher than 18% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Kansas RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 0.2 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 89.9 |
| 2009 | 91.8 |
| 2010 | 93.0 |
| 2011 | 92.8 |
| 2012 | 93.3 |
| 2013 | 92.6 |
| 2014 | 93.1 |
| 2015 | 92.8 |
| 2016 | 92.1 |
| 2017 | 91.6 |
| 2018 | 92.4 |
| 2019 | 92.7 |
| 2020 | 92.3 |
| 2021 | 91.3 |
| 2022 | 89.6 |
| 2023 | 89.9 |
| 2024 | 90.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Kansas's overall RPP rose +0.2 points, from 89.9 in 2023 to 90.1 in 2024. The largest category move was rents, changing from 68.6 to 71.2. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
What this means in Kansas
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Kansas.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Lawrence (90.2) and Topeka (88.8) sit 1 index points apart inside Kansas. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 71.2 (28.8% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Kansas against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Kansas, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Kansas: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (90.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (71.2 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cheaper is living in Kansas than the U.S. average?
Kansas has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 90.1, meaning it is 9.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.0, services at 88.4, and rents at 71.2.
What salary in Kansas equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,068 in Kansas. Conversely, $100K earned in Kansas has the purchasing power of $111,027 at the national average.
How much of Kansas's affordability is rents?
Rents in Kansas are indexed at 71.2, which is 28.8% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which is the most expensive metro in Kansas?
The most expensive metro area in Kansas is Lawrence, KS with an RPP of 90.2. The most affordable is Topeka, KS at 88.8. There are 4 metro areas in Kansas with BEA price data.
Is Kansas getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Kansas's overall cost index changed by +0.2 points (from 89.9 to 90.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.