Moving to Kansas from New Mexico
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New Mexico to Kansas — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New Mexico to Kansas, you would find that Kansas is 6.6% cheaper than New Mexico. A $75,000 salary in New Mexico would need to be roughly $67,187 in Kansas to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from New Mexico to Kansas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,187
To maintain the same standard of living in Kansas
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 6.7% less
Groceries
pay 8.1% less
Transportation
pay 2.4% more
Housing
pay 4.9% less
Childcare
pay 16.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.6% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How New Mexico and Kansas 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 performs significantly better than New Mexico 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 New Mexico leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New Mexico generally does better on what about housing?, though Kansas leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kansas performs significantly better than New Mexico 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 significantly better than New Mexico 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 significantly better than New Mexico 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 | Santa Fe | Topeka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/22°F (9°/-5°C) | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/43°F (23°/6°C) | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/53°F (28°/12°C) | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/28°F (12°/-2°C) | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Santa Fe | Topeka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°/19°F (5.9°/-7.4°C) | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) |
| Feb | 47°/21°F (8.3°/-6.2°C) | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) |
| Mar | 54°/27°F (12.3°/-2.6°C) | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 63°/33°F (17.4°/0.6°C) | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) |
| May | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.3°C) | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) |
| Jun | 83°/52°F (28.3°/11.2°C) | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) |
| Jul | 85°/56°F (29.6°/13.4°C) | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) |
| Aug | 83°/55°F (28.1°/12.8°C) | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (25.1°/9.1°C) | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) |
| Oct | 65°/38°F (18.6°/3.1°C) | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 53°/28°F (11.6°/-2.5°C) | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) |
| Dec | 43°/19°F (6.2°/-7.4°C) | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kansas than New Mexico?
Generally yes: Kansas runs about 10% cheaper than New Mexico on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Kansas?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,797 in Kansas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Kansas safe?
Kansas performs significantly better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Kansas compared to New Mexico?
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Mexico leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Kansas compared to New Mexico?
The average high temperature in Topeka is 66°F, compared to 64°F in Santa Fe. Topeka receives around 38.9 in of rainfall per year, while Santa Fe gets 15.7 in.
