Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kansas City vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Kansas City is 1.7% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.3% more in Kansas City
- Groceries
-
pay 7.6% more in Kansas City
- Transportation
-
pay 9.5% less in Kansas City
- Housing
-
pay 15.6% less in Kansas City
- Childcare
-
pay 12.3% more in Kansas City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.3% less in Kansas City
- Clothing
-
pay 12.2% more in Kansas City
The cost of childcare, clothing, restaurants, and groceries in Kansas City are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including housing, transportation, and entertainment and sports are lower in Kansas City.
Kansas City vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kansas City instead of United States, you would:
pay 9.3% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Kansas City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$22.63
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$12.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.15
|
|
United States vs. Kansas City - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.6% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Kansas City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.61
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$8.45
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.76
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.74
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$3.01
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.76
|
|
United States vs. Kansas City - Cost of groceries
pay 9.5% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Kansas City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$37,222.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$12.44
|
|
United States vs. Kansas City - Cost of transportation
pay 15.6% less for housing
|
United States
|
Kansas City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,310.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,049.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$151.55
|
|
United States vs. Kansas City - Cost of housing
pay 12.3% more for childcare
|
United States
|
Kansas City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,392.82
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$28,840.00
|
|
United States vs. Kansas City - Cost of childcare
pay 4.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Kansas City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$36.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$15.00
|
|
United States vs. Kansas City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.2% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Kansas City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$138.33
|
|
United States vs. Kansas City - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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