Moving to California from Kansas
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Kansas to California — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Kansas to California, you would find that California is 39.0% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $106,618 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. What to expect for your wallet after moving from Kansas to California. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $106,618 To maintain the same standard of living in California Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day Restaurants pay 27.7% more Groceries pay 26.5% more Transportation pay 41.4% more Housing pay 64.8% more Childcare pay 75.5% more Entertainment and Sports pay 27.1% 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 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 California cost about 34% more than cities in Kansas. Compare cities head-to-head Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Kansas to California. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Kansas performs better than California across all safety metrics. 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. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Kansas performs better than California across all what about housing? metrics. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Kansas generally does better on infrastructure, though California leads in internet access. 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 California leads in gdp per capita. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree California performs significantly 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) Monthly averages — select a city to compare. Avg. annual high / low Avg. annual high / low Data: No — California is on average about 42% more expensive than Kansas. City-level variation matters. Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $26,654 in California on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit). Kansas performs better than California across all safety metrics. California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kansas leads in diabetes rate. The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in. How Far Will Your Money Go?
Cost of living by city
Key Indicator Comparison
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What's the Climate Like?
Months Topeka Sacramento Jan–Mar 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) Apr–Jun 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) Jul–Sep 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) Oct–Dec 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) View all months
Month Topeka Sacramento Jan 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) Feb 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) Mar 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) Apr 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) May 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) Jun 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) Jul 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) Aug 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) Sep 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) Oct 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) Nov 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) Dec 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Kansas?
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What's the weather like in California compared to Kansas?
