

Phoenix vs Wichita
$30/mo more in Wichita
PhoenixWichitaAbout 888 miles apart, a flight.
- Wichita leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 232 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,606/mo in Wichita. $2,576/mo in Phoenix. +$360 a year.
Phoenix
$2,576
left each month
Wichita
$2,606
+$30 vs Phoenix
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 114 households moved Phoenix → Wichita (avg AGI $61,096). 99 went the other way. The whole move →
+$30 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Phoenix | Wichita | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $7,044 | −$539 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,709 | $1,759 | +$50 |
| Take-home pay | $5,875 | $5,285 | −$589 |
| Rent | $1,277 | $857 | −$420 |
| Getting around | $586 | $543 | −$43 |
| Groceries | $396 | $353 | −$43 |
| Healthcare | $446 | $397 | −$49 |
| Utilities | $248 | $221 | −$27 |
| Everything else | $347 | $309 | −$38 |
| Left over | $2,576 | $2,606 | +$30 |
Salary to match Phoenix
$84,000
Gross pay in Wichita that leaves the same amount as $91,000 in Phoenix.
Tax difference
−$2,518
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.5% in Phoenix, 25.0% in Wichita.
More about Wichita
Phoenix, AZ in full
A 2.5% flat income tax, cheap housing for a big metro, and a genuinely dangerous July.
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 → Phoenix →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Wichita than Phoenix?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Wichita leaves about $30 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,277 in Phoenix and $857 in Wichita.
Does Wichita have state income tax?
Wichita is in Kansas, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Phoenix 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 Phoenix 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.