City profile
Kansas City, MO cost of living
MO · BEA RPP 92.543
2024 overall RPP
92.543
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
86.642
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
94.12
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$1,546/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where Kansas City, MO sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#60 of 67
-7.5 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
-6.9
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#42 of 67
-143/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: Kansas City, MO-KS (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 28140). HUD: Kansas City, MO-KS HUD Metro FMR Area (code METRO28140M28140); counties or county equivalents: Caldwell County, Cass County, Clay County, Clinton County, Jackson County, Johnson County, Lafayette County, Leavenworth County, Linn County, Miami County, Platte County, Ray County, Wyandotte County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of Kansas City, MO
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the Kansas City, MO metro.
Moved in
25,350
people · 16,062 households
Moved out
23,656
people · 14,598 households
Net
+1,694
net gain of residents
Net migration rank
#26 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
+1,323
median +371 people
Largest flow share
8% in / 7% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Douglas County, KS 1,955
- Sedgwick County, KS 1,236
- Johnson County, MO 1,039
- Shawnee County, KS 974
- Buchanan County, MO 932
Where residents moved to
- Douglas County, KS 1,713
- Johnson County, MO 1,148
- Maricopa County, AZ 897
- Buchanan County, MO 805
- Sedgwick County, KS 733
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in Kansas City, MO?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in Kansas City, MO | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,272 | $50,000 x (92.543/100) |
| $75,000 | $69,407 | $75,000 x (92.543/100) |
| $100,000 | $92,543 | $100,000 x (92.543/100) |
| $125,000 | $115,679 | $125,000 x (92.543/100) |
| $150,000 | $138,815 | $150,000 x (92.543/100) |
| $200,000 | $185,086 | $200,000 x (92.543/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Kansas City, MO?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, Kansas City, MO has an overall Regional Price Parity of 92.543 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 7.5% lower than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in Kansas City, MO?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $92,543 in Kansas City, MO, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for Kansas City, MO?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with Kansas City, MO is $1,546 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from Kansas City, MO?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 25,350 people moved into the Kansas City, MO metro and 23,656 moved out — a net gain of roughly 1,694 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Douglas County, KS.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to Kansas City, MO, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside Kansas City, MO's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log