Moving to New York from Kansas
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Kansas to New York — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Kansas to New York, you would find that New York is 32.6% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $98,074 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Kansas to New York.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $98,074
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 15.7% more
Groceries
pay 26.0% more
Transportation
pay 48.6% more
Housing
pay 34.1% more
Childcare
pay 69.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.3% 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 New York cost about 15% more than cities in Kansas.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Kansas to New York.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New York 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
New York performs significantly better than Kansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kansas performs better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kansas generally does better on infrastructure, though New York 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 New York leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New York 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)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Topeka | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Topeka | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than Kansas?
No — New York is on average about 31% more expensive than Kansas. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $24,518 in New York on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is New York safe?
New York performs significantly better than Kansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New York compared to Kansas?
New York performs significantly better than Kansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in New York compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in.
