What is the cost of living in Kansas City?

Kansas City has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 86.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,358/month.

What is the median salary in Kansas City?

The median salary in Kansas City is $67,553 annually (mean: $71,982). Top occupations include General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is Kansas City?

The violent crime rate in the Kansas City area is 463 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1972 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Kansas City?

The state of MO has 2,321 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 12.8:1. Charter schools make up 3.5% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Kansas City?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Kansas City.

Is Kansas City a good place to relocate?

Kansas City has a Life Score of 48.3/100 (D), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Kansas City sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Kansas City ranks #256 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Kansas City, MO-KS

LiveAbility 47.3/100 places Kansas City #256 of 387 (middle third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

92.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,358
2BR rent / mo: $67,553
Median salary: 47.3
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Kansas City ranks #256 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (47.3/100), with its strongest marks in schools and job market.

#256
of 387 US metros · Near median: 6,245,466
metro-area population: 463
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,321
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: air quality (13/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Kansas City ranks #256 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 92.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,358/mo, median salary $67,553; LiveAbility Score 47.3/100, strongest in schools and job market.

Signature: LiveAbility 47.3/100 places Kansas City #256 of 387 (middle third).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 92.5 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,358/mo.

LiveAbility 47.3/100 keeps Kansas City in the middle third (#256 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Kansas City area is 1,079,180.

Kansas City vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

47 Top 66% higher than 34% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Kansas City housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Kansas City MSA; housing RPP 86.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,358/mo.

Studio

$1,095

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,197

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,358

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,769

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,103

/month

Kansas City wages and employment

Kansas City posts 1,079,180 total employment with median salary $67,553.

Median Salary

$67,553

Mean Salary

$71,982

Total Employment

1,079,180

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
General and Operations Managers	$90,490
Registered Nurses	$83,040
Retail Salespersons	$34,320
Cashiers	$30,700
Stockers and Order Fillers	$36,850

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Kansas City area from NCES.

Schools

2,321

Enrollment

887,264

Student:Teacher

12.8:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Kansas City's composite Life Score is 48.3/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

59/100

Above average

Wages

73/100

Strong

Rent

43/100

Below average

Crime

15/100

Bottom decile

Schools

12/100

Bottom decile

Environment

71/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Kansas City ranks #256 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 47.3/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (88/100)

Schools

88
Job market

73
Cost of living

59
Climate

47
Housing

43
Low hazard

18
Safety

15
Air quality

13

What this shows Kansas City's strongest dimensions are schools and job market; its weakest among scored dims is air quality at 13/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Kansas City to

Florence Fond du Lac Fort Collins-Loveland Fort Smith Fort Wayne Fresno

Metros near Kansas City on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Kansas City on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Kansas City cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Kansas City wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Kansas City?

Kansas City runs a $67,553 median salary at a 92.5 cost index, ranking #256 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Kansas City's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Kansas City head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Kansas City
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.