Pittsburgh → Wichita
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Pittsburgh to Wichita is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 94.7 to 88.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $200/mo.
- -$4,699
- BLS median salary lower in Wichita
- 250 to 456
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 to 13.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + 6% lower cost of living
- + $200/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $5K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 94.7 to 88.9, so each dollar covers more in Wichita (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $200/mo ($2,400/yr) from $1,299 in Pittsburgh to $1,099 in Wichita.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Wichita sits #158 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Pittsburgh is #209/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,699 lower ($65,551 → $60,852). Labor-market size: 1,098,020 tracked jobs at origin vs 300,890 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Pennsylvania 65 (C, #18/51) vs Kansas 63 (C, #21/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 95
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 72
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 61
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 54
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Pittsburgh to see what you'd need to earn in Wichita to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026