Moving to New York from Kansas

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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

See full cost of living breakdown

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?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

KS
424
NY
381
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

KS
2068
NY
1760

New York performs significantly better than Kansas across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

KS
8.6%
NY
5.0%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

KS
36.8%
NY
29.9%

New York performs significantly better than Kansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

KS
$203,400
NY
$403,000
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

KS
$1,029
NY
$1,576

Kansas performs better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

KS
89.5%
NY
89.7%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

KS
20 min
NY
33 min

Kansas generally does better on infrastructure, though New York leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

KS
3.4%
NY
4.4%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

KS
$60,996
NY
$91,992

Kansas generally does better on employment & economy, though New York leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

KS
76.4 yrs
NY
77.7 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

KS
23%
NY
28%

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.

TopekaRain: 38.9 in/yr (989 mm)
66°/43°F

Avg. annual high / low

AlbanyRain: 39.4 in/yr (1000 mm)
58°/39°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsTopekaAlbany
Jan–Mar46°/25°F (8°/-4°C)37°/19°F (2°/-7°C)
Apr–Jun75°/53°F (24°/12°C)68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
Jul–Sep86°/63°F (30°/17°C)78°/58°F (26°/14°C)
Oct–Dec54°/32°F (12°/0°C)48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)
View all months
MonthTopekaAlbany
Jan39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C)31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C)
Feb44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C)35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C)
Mar56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C)44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C)
Apr66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C)58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C)
May75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C)69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C)
Jun84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C)78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C)
Jul90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C)82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C)
Aug89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C)80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C)
Sep80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C)72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C)
Oct67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C)60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C)
Nov54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C)48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C)
Dec41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C)36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C)

Data: National Weather Service 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.

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