10 Pros and Cons of Living in Kansas
It’s one of the cheapest states in the U.S. to live, but the rural lifestyle can be a blessing for some and a bane for others.
Written by Amber Reed
Reviewed by Jessa Claeys
Table of Contents
- Pro: This house costs how much?!
- Con: Lack of public transportation options
- Pro: The living is easy (and cheap)
- Con: High state and local taxes
- Pro: Easy commutes and very little traffic
- Con: Everything is dust in the wind
- Pro: Enjoy 4 distinct and lovely seasons
- Con: It’s a twister, Auntie Em!
- Pro: You’ve died and gone to BBQ heaven
- Pro or Con: It’s rather rural
- Is Kansas a good state to live in?
- How to upgrade your car insurance in Kansas
- FAQs
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Is a melange of magnificent meats and a super-low cost of living enough to balance out a flat, tornado-prone landscape and endless Wizard of Oz jokes? Read on to decide for yourself if Kansas is right for you!
Thinking about relocating to Kansas? Wide open prairies and plenty of space to roam might sound nice if you currently live in a big city. But not everyone is cut out for a rural lifestyle.
Weigh the pros and cons of moving to Kansas with some help from
Jerry
, the car insurance
app that gets you great coverage at an unbeatable price—no matter where you live. We’ll talk about Kansas housing costs, taxes, local cuisine, and more. And if you decide to make the move, we’ll tell you how to find the lowest Kansas car insurance costs
before you’re even unpacked. Pro: This house costs how much?!
At a time when real estate prices seem ever higher, Kansas has one of the lowest housing costs in the U.S. The median home price here is about 45% lower than in the rest of the nation.
The typical price for a single-family home in Kansas is around $206,000, which places it among the top five states when it comes to cheap housing.
Not in the market to buy just yet? You’ll be fine. Rent in Kansas is low as well when compared to the national average. A one-bedroom apartment will run around $600 to $700 a month—a rate that’s unheard of in most major U.S. cities.
If having lots of space is your thing, you can get a four-bedroom apartment in Kansas for less than the cost of a studio in
Los Angeles
or Seattle
!MORE: Everything you need to know about buying a house in Kansas
Con: Lack of public transportation options
If you don’t have a car, prepare to spend a lot of time at home if you live in Kansas. While the larger cities do have some options for public transportation, they’re certainly not abundant.
And as the bulk of the state is rural, it makes getting around pretty tough unless you have your own set of wheels. But hey—with the money you’re saving on your rent or mortgage, you’ll be able to get a sweet new ride in no time!
MORE: How to check for Kansas road closures
Pro: The living is easy (and cheap)
It’s not just the cost of housing that’s low in Kansas. The cost of living is one of the lowest in the nation, as well—about 14% lower overall, to be exact.
Food is about 8% lower than average, and things like clothing and other essentials are almost 10% lower. Even when you look at the most expensive cities in Kansas to live in, they’re still much cheaper than the national average.
If you want to get the most out of every dollar, Kansas is a good place to be!
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Con: High state and local taxes
On the flip side of finances, taxes are surprisingly high in Kansas. A recent study found that Kansas ranked 14th in the nation when it came to tax burdens, with a rate over 9%.
The sales tax ranges from 6% to 10% depending on where you are, and state income tax is between 3.1% to 5.7%. While this isn’t as bad as a lot of other states, taxes rank high on the list of things that Kansans dislike the most about living there.
Pro: Easy commutes and very little traffic
Kansas consists of a few urban areas with a lot of rural land in between. While it’s basically a requirement to have a car for this reason, here’s a nice feature: the traffic is next to non-existent.
If you do have to commute or drive a ways for something, you’ll make great time.
A recent study found that the average American commuter spends around 250 hours in transit each year—that’s more than 10 days! And out of that, almost 100 hours are lost to traffic congestion.
Suffice it to say that if you live in Kansas, you’ll be getting a lot of those hours back. You could take up a new hobby with all that time, like knitting or making pies (something Kansas-y).
Con: Everything is dust in the wind
While your commute may be fast and easy, make sure you have some captivating podcasts and upbeat music ready to go. The landscape of Kansas is flat—very, very flat. And to be honest, it’s pretty dull to look at by all accounts.
Those amber waves of grain that you heard about? They’re here. While they may seem beautiful in a certain light, if you’re the kind of person who likes to look at abundant trees and lovely mountains, Kansas might freak you out a little.
On the flip side, those wheat fields supply food for a lot of people all over the globe, so they are beautiful in that sense (unless you’re gluten intolerant).
Pro: Enjoy 4 distinct and lovely seasons
The land may be flat, but you’ll experience a nice variation of seasons in Kansas. Unlike some states where the seasons are summer and not summer (we’re looking at you, Arizona), Kansas enjoys four distinct seasons.
The summers are warm but not too hot. Spring brings abundant flowers, and fall is filled with beautiful colors. Although winters are cold, Kansas only averages about a foot or so of snow per year, which is just enough to play in but not enough to trap you in your house for weeks on end.
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Con: It’s a twister, Auntie Em!
You were starting to think we were going to get through this with just one Wizard of Oz reference, weren’t you? Such a silly little flying monkey, you are.
Ever heard of Tornado Alley? Well, Kansas is hanging out right in the middle of it. Although statistics vary by year, Kansas is consistently one of the worst states in the nation for tornadoes. A recent study ranked it second, right behind Texas.
Jokes aside, this presents some real challenges for people who live there. Not only are tornadoes extremely dangerous, but they also can cause massive and widespread property damage.
If you buy a house in Kansas, be prepared to have some additional
homeowners insurance
to cover potential damage from wind, rain, hail, and flooding, which go hand in hand with tornado season. Pro: You’ve died and gone to BBQ heaven
Folks in Kansas tend to be humble and understated when it comes to most things—except when that thing is barbequed or smoked meats. Kansas is known for some of the best BBQ to be had anywhere, and there is absolutely no shortage of places to get your fix.
Kansas-style BBQ is entirely its own creature. While many places stick with barbecued beef or pork, nothing is off-limits in Kansas. Chicken, turkey, and fish are all fair game.
It’s not just a food or a style of cooking, it’s an institution. If you want to see a discussion get heated, ask a Kansan about the best way to BBQ something. If you’re feeling really brave, imply that a neighboring state does it better.
Pro or Con: It’s rather rural
Fact: while there are a few big urban areas, Kansas is extremely rural overall—about 85% rural, to be exact. And while some people love this, it’s certainly not for everyone, which is why we’re listing it as a pro and a con.
Some people might absolutely adore the wide open spaces, sparsely populated landscape, and feelings of isolation and privacy. On the other hand, it might be the thing that finally drives them right up a tree (which in the prairie lands of Kansas are unfortunately hard to come by).
If you like having lots of options for dining, shopping, and entertainment close at hand, then life in the bulk of Kansas will be a struggle for you. It’s not that those things don’t exist—they do but definitely not on the scale of many other regions. And odds are the closest fun thing to do is going to be a few hours away.
But for some people, that might be a plus. If the idea of having a lot of space in a country-like setting appeals to you, then Kansas is a state where you can make that happen.
Is Kansas a good state to live in?
Kansas can be an utterly lovely state to live in, but it definitely won’t be to everyone’s liking. If you want to be able to afford a big house, a lot of land, and a low cost of living, then Kansas is a contender. But with that comes a largely rural environment and lifestyle that might be idyllic for some while intolerable to others.
How to upgrade your car insurance in Kansas
Even with the low cost of living in Kansas, there’s still room to save on
car insurance
! By shopping Jerry
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or Prairie Village
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FAQs
Is Kansas in Tornado Alley?
That would be a big yes. Kansas sits right in the heart of Tornado Alley and is one of the most tornado-prone states in the U.S.
What are the winters like in Kansas?
It gets cold, with lows in the teens and highs in the 30s. However, the state only averages about a foot of snow annually.
Is Kansas racially diverse?
Kansas is getting more racially diverse with time, but it still ranks low compared to the national average. Depending on the source, anywhere from 60% to 80% of the population identifies as white. This trend holds true for most of the Midwest. A recent study found that out of the 50 most racially diverse cities in America, only 12 of them weren’t on the East or West Coast.
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