Moving to Kansas from California
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from California to Kansas — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from California to Kansas, you would find that Kansas is 24.6% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $52,758 in Kansas to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from California to Kansas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $52,758
To maintain the same standard of living in Kansas
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 21.5% less
Groceries
pay 18.9% less
Transportation
pay 27.5% less
Housing
pay 31.8% less
Childcare
pay 42.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 20.9% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Kansas cost about 26% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from California to Kansas.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Kansas performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kansas leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kansas performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Kansas leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Kansas leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs better than Kansas across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sacramento | Topeka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sacramento | Topeka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) |
| Feb | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) |
| May | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) |
| Jun | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) |
| Jul | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) |
| Aug | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) |
| Sep | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) |
| Oct | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) |
| Dec | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kansas than California?
Yes — Kansas is on average about 30% cheaper than California. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Kansas?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $13,190 in Kansas on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Kansas safe?
Kansas performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Kansas compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kansas leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Kansas compared to California?
The average high temperature in Topeka is 66°F, compared to 74°F in Sacramento. Topeka receives around 38.9 in of rainfall per year, while Sacramento gets 18.5 in.
