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Regional prices · BEA 2024 · state

Cost of living in Kansas: prices 9.9% below the U.S. average.

The official BEA price level for Kansas, what makes it up, what a salary is worth here at U.S.-average prices, and how local jobs pay once regional prices are taken into account.

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Updated Nov 1, 2026 · Data: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (Feb 2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025
Regional price parity · all items90.1U.S. = 100 · rank 42 of 51
Purchasing-power equivalent · BEA RPP 2024

$100,000 in Kansas ≈ $111,027 at U.S.-average prices.

Quick answer

BEA's Regional Price Parity shows that overall price levels in Kansas are approximately 9.9% below the U.S. average (RPP 90.1 for 2024, U.S. = 100; rank 42 of 51, most expensive first). It measures average prices of goods and services for the average consumer, not a household budget, rent alone or taxes. Rents are tracked separately: 71.2 here against 100.6 nationally.

What RPP measures

Regional Price Parities (BEA) compare average price levels of goods and services across states and metro areas in one year, with the U.S. = 100. An RPP of 90.1 means prices about 9.9% below the national level.

What it does not measure

A household budget, rent alone, taxes, disposable income, home affordability, lifestyle, savings, or any individual's actual spending.

Price level (all items)
90.1
U.S. 100 · BEA 2024
Rents (tenant housing)
71.2
U.S. 100.6 · shown separately
$100,000 here equals
$111,027
at U.S.-average prices
To match $100,000 (U.S. prices)
$90,068
needed here
What makes it up

Price levels by category

Data BEA RPP components for 2024. Rents cover tenant-occupied housing only. Each U.S. value is BEA's national figure for that category.

  1. All items90.1 U.S. 100.0
  2. Goods94.0 U.S. 99.6
  3. Housing (rents)71.2 U.S. 100.6
  4. Utilities88.4 U.S. 98.4
  5. Other services93.8 U.S. 100.1
Local pay

What the largest occupations in Kansas pay

Data BLS median wage (May 2025), the same wage at U.S.-average prices (TryHired calculation with BEA RPP), and the occupation's U.S. median.

Pay in Kansas before and after regional prices
OccupationLocal medianAt U.S.-average pricesU.S. medianEmployed here
Fast Food and Counter Workers$27,580$30,621$31,20047,140
Registered Nurse$79,320$88,067$97,55033,800
Sales Associate$32,180$35,729$35,41033,360
Cashier$28,800$31,976$32,88033,080
Administrative Assistant$42,270$46,931$47,54032,120
Customer Service Representative$40,320$44,766$44,77029,200
Stocker$35,450$39,359$37,33026,750
Operations Manager$92,840$103,078$105,77024,660
CNA$38,010$42,201$42,26024,610
Truck Driver$58,920$65,417$58,64024,220
Material Handler$40,250$44,688$40,24023,270
Server$36,120$40,103$35,23019,480
Pay that goes furthest

Where Kansas pay stretches furthest against the U.S.

Data Local median at U.S.-average prices compared with the occupation's U.S. median; occupations with at least 500 people employed here.

  1. Tool and Die Makers+45% vs U.S.
  2. Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers+39% vs U.S.
  3. Preschool Teacher+39% vs U.S.
  4. Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products+38% vs U.S.
  5. Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic+38% vs U.S.
  6. Packers and Packagers, Hand+36% vs U.S.
  7. Millwright+35% vs U.S.
  8. Slaughterers and Meat Packers+33% vs U.S.
  9. Dental Laboratory Technician+27% vs U.S.
  10. Loan Officer+26% vs U.S.
Metro areas

Price levels across Kansas metro areas

Data BEA 2024 all-items RPP for each metropolitan area in the state; differences of 3 points or less are within year-to-year movement.

  1. Kansas City, MO92.5
  2. Lawrence, KS90.2
  3. Manhattan, KS90.2
  4. Wichita, KS88.9
  5. Topeka, KS88.8
  6. St. Joseph, MO86.4
  7. Joplin, MO85.7
Similar price levels

Places with the closest price levels

Data Differences of 3 points or less are within year-to-year movement, so treat them as ties.

Price levelNebraska · 90.1Price levelKentucky · 90.2Price levelWest Virginia · 89.5Price levelMissouri · 90.8Price levelNorth Dakota · 89.0Price levelAlabama · 88.8
FAQ

Common questions

Is Kansas expensive?
BEA's 2024 regional price parity for Kansas is 90.1 (U.S. = 100): prices average 9.9% below the national level. Rents alone are at 71.2 (U.S. 100.6).
Is $100,000 a good salary in Kansas?
At Kansas's 2024 price level, $100,000 is equivalent to about $111,027 at U.S.-average prices; matching $100,000 at U.S.-average prices takes about $90,068 here. Whether that is enough depends on your own costs, which this page does not measure.
Is this my cost of living?
No. A regional price parity is an average price level for the average consumer. Your own costs depend on housing, household size, taxes, commuting and spending, which it does not measure.
Method

How this page is built

BEA Regional Price Parities measure differences in price levels across states and metropolitan areas for one year, relative to the U.S. (= 100), for the goods and services bought by the average consumer. Salary at U.S.-average prices = salary ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). Equivalent salary in place B for a salary in place A = salary × RPP(B) ÷ RPP(A). BEA uses the same division to price-adjust income; its further steps (a small national rebalancing factor and conversion to constant dollars) are for time series and are not applied. Metro areas use the OMB 2023 delineations, the same codes BLS uses. Searches this page answers include “cost of living in kansas”, “kansas cost of living”, “average cost of living in kansas” (Ahrefs, U.S.).

What this page can't tell you
  • Anyone's personal cost of living or household budget: RPPs are average price levels for the average consumer.
  • Taxes, take-home pay, home prices, household size, commuting or lifestyle.
  • Exact prices: RPPs are indexes, and BEA notes place-to-place price comparisons can be volatile where survey samples are small.
  • Year match: 2024 price levels are applied to May 2025 wages.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area, 2024 (released Feb 19, 2026; SARPP and MARPP tables; retrieved Oct 25, 2026). Methodology.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).