Moving to Texas from Kansas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kansas to Texas — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kansas to Texas, you would find that Texas is 12.1% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $81,930 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Austin averages 79°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 Texas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $81,930
To maintain the same standard of living in Texas
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 13.1% more
Groceries
pay 2.2% more
Transportation
pay 21.6% more
Housing
pay 17.2% more
Childcare
pay 21.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.6% 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 Texas cost about 4% less than cities in Kansas.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Kansas and Texas 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
Kansas generally does better on safety, though Texas leads in violent crime rate.
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 Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kansas performs better than Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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
Kansas generally does better on family life, though Texas leads in life expectancy.
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 | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 65°/40°F (18°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 93°/70°F (34°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 71°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Topeka | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) | 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C) |
| Feb | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) | 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C) |
| Mar | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) | 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) | 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C) |
| Jun | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) | 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C) |
| Jul | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) | 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C) |
| Aug | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) | 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C) |
| Sep | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) | 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C) |
| Oct | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) | 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C) |
| Nov | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C) |
| Dec | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) | 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Kansas?
Day-to-day costs in Texas run about 9% higher than Kansas on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Texas?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,482 in Texas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Texas safe?
Kansas generally does better on safety, though Texas leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Texas compared to Kansas?
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Texas compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Austin is 79°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Austin receives around 36.2 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in.
