

Denver vs Wichita
$45/mo less in Wichita
DenverWichitaAbout 432 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Wichita costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 232 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,586/mo in Wichita. $2,631/mo in Denver. −$540 a year.
Denver
$2,631
left each month
Wichita
$2,586
−$45 vs Denver
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 193 households moved Denver → Wichita (avg AGI $63,295). 130 went the other way. The whole move →
−$45 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Denver | Wichita | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,250 | $7,013 | −$1,237 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,057 | $1,748 | −$309 |
| Take-home pay | $6,193 | $5,265 | −$928 |
| Rent | $1,489 | $857 | −$632 |
| Getting around | $551 | $543 | −$8 |
| Groceries | $420 | $353 | −$67 |
| Healthcare | $473 | $397 | −$76 |
| Utilities | $263 | $221 | −$42 |
| Everything else | $368 | $309 | −$59 |
| Left over | $2,631 | $2,586 | −$45 |
Salary to match Denver
$85,000
Gross pay in Wichita that leaves the same amount as $99,000 in Denver.
Tax difference
−$693
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.9% in Denver, 24.9% in Wichita.
More about Wichita
Denver, CO in full
Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.
Wichita, KS in full
State income tax topping out at 5.58%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,020 and 232 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
The other way
Start in Wichita.
Wichita → Denver →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Wichita than Denver?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Wichita leaves about $45 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,489 in Denver and $857 in Wichita.
Does Wichita have state income tax?
Wichita is in Kansas, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Denver to Wichita?
The paycheck is taxed in Kansas. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Denver and Wichita changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.