Moving to Arizona from Kansas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kansas to Arizona — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kansas to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 12.5% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $87,298 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 66°F in Topeka, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Kansas to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $87,298
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 19.7% more
Groceries
pay 4.1% more
Transportation
pay 18.0% more
Housing
pay 37.6% more
Childcare
pay 1.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.6% more
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 Arizona cost about 4% more than cities in Kansas.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Kansas and Arizona stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Arizona performs significantly better than Kansas 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
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kansas generally does better on what about housing?, though Arizona leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kansas generally does better on infrastructure, though Arizona leads in internet access.
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
Kansas generally does better on employment & economy, though Arizona leads in median household income.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Kansas performs better than Arizona 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 | Topeka | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Topeka | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than Kansas?
Day-to-day costs in Arizona run about 16% higher than Kansas on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Arizona?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $21,824 in Arizona for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Arizona safe?
Arizona performs significantly better than Kansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Kansas?
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in.
