Moving to Ohio from Kansas
What to Expect
Considering a move from Kansas to Ohio? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Kansas to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 6.0% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $75,899 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Columbus averages 76°F vs 66°F in Topeka, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Kansas and Ohio.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,899
To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 2.6% more
Groceries
pay 0.2% more
Transportation
pay 32.7% more
Housing
pay 0.2% less
Childcare
pay 17.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.3% 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 Ohio cost about 13% less than cities in Kansas.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Ohio compared to Kansas.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Ohio 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 Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Ohio performs significantly better than Kansas across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kansas performs better than Ohio across all infrastructure metrics.
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 performs better than Ohio across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Kansas performs better than Ohio 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 | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Topeka | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) |
| Mar | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Apr | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) |
| Jun | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) |
| Jul | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) |
| Sep | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) |
| Oct | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) |
| Nov | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Dec | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than Kansas?
Ohio and Kansas are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to Ohio?
Budget about $18,975 for 3 months in Ohio (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Ohio safe?
Ohio performs significantly better than Kansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Ohio compared to Kansas?
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Ohio compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in.
