State overview · KS
What salary do you need to live comfortably in Kansas? Real data for 1 city, updated June 2026.
| City | Salary needed | Housing / mo | Median salary | Salary gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita | $81,764 | $1,099 | $47,630 | $34,134 |
Cost of Living in Kansas
Wichita requires an annual income of $81,847 to cover basic living costs, which sits well below the national median of $97,658. That gap signals real affordability relative to most of the country. Even so, the local median salary of $46,650 falls $35,197 short of what residents actually need, meaning someone earning the typical Wichita wage covers only about half their required budget. These figures reflect one tracked city, not Kansas as a whole, so treat them as a window into Wichita specifically rather than a statewide portrait.
CityWage currently tracks one city in Kansas: Wichita. The table below breaks down its full cost profile, with housing running $1,099 per month.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cost of living in Wichita, KS?
You need about $81,764 per year to live comfortably in Wichita, based on the 50/30/20 budget rule applied to BLS and HUD data.
Does the median salary in Wichita cover the cost of living?
Not on its own. The median local salary of $47,630 falls about $34,134 short of the $81,764 needed to live comfortably.
Is Wichita above or below the national average?
Wichita runs below the national median. It needs $81,764 per year versus the national figure of $97,559.