Moving to Kansas from Tennessee

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Tennessee to Kansas — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Tennessee to Kansas, you would find that Kansas is 9.3% cheaper than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $65,485 in Kansas to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Tennessee to Kansas.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $65,485

To maintain the same standard of living in Kansas

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 13.9% less

Groceries

pay 6.3% less

Transportation

pay 4.9% less

Housing

pay 16.8% less

Childcare

pay 16.2% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 5.3% 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.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Tennessee and Kansas stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
612
KS
424
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
2301
KS
2068

Kansas performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

TN
9.5%
KS
8.6%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

TN
37.9%
KS
36.8%

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

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

TN
$256,800
KS
$203,400
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

TN
$1,122
KS
$1,029

Kansas generally does better on what about housing?, though Tennessee leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

TN
87.6%
KS
89.5%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

TN
26 min
KS
20 min

Kansas performs significantly better than Tennessee across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

TN
3.4%
KS
3.4%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

TN
$60,177
KS
$60,996

Kansas generally does better on employment & economy, though Tennessee leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

TN
73.8 yrs
KS
76.4 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

TN
20%
KS
23%

Kansas performs significantly better than Tennessee 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.

Nashville Rain: 47.2 in/yr (1200 mm)
70° / 49°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Nashville Topeka
Jan–Mar 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C)
Apr–Jun 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) 75°/53°F (24°/12°C)
Jul–Sep 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) 86°/63°F (30°/17°C)
Oct–Dec 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) 54°/32°F (12°/0°C)
View all months
Month Nashville Topeka
Jan 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C)
Feb 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C)
Mar 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C)
Apr 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C)
May 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C)
Jun 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C)
Jul 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C)
Aug 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C)
Sep 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C)
Oct 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C)
Nov 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C)
Dec 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Kansas than Tennessee?

Generally yes: Kansas runs about 13% cheaper than Tennessee 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 $16,371 in Kansas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Kansas safe?

Kansas performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Kansas compared to Tennessee?

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

What's the weather like in Kansas compared to Tennessee?

The average high temperature in Topeka is 66°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Topeka receives around 38.9 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.

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