

Kansas City vs Tulsa
$52/mo less in Tulsa
Kansas CityTulsaAbout 208 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Tulsa costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 227 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,561/mo in Tulsa. $2,613/mo in Kansas City. −$624 a year.
Kansas City
$2,613
left each month
Tulsa
$2,561
−$52 vs Kansas City
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 110 households moved Kansas City → Tulsa (avg AGI $84,091). 142 went the other way. The whole move →
−$52 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Kansas City | Tulsa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $7,036 | −$547 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,905 | $1,681 | −$224 |
| Take-home pay | $5,679 | $5,355 | −$323 |
| Rent | $1,167 | $967 | −$200 |
| Getting around | $551 | $536 | −$15 |
| Groceries | $372 | $356 | −$16 |
| Healthcare | $419 | $401 | −$18 |
| Utilities | $233 | $223 | −$10 |
| Everything else | $326 | $312 | −$14 |
| Left over | $2,613 | $2,561 | −$52 |
Salary to match Kansas City
$85,500
Gross pay in Tulsa that leaves the same amount as $91,000 in Kansas City.
Tax difference
+$740
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.1% in Kansas City, 23.9% in Tulsa.
More about Tulsa
Kansas City, MO in full
Genuinely low cost of living for a metro with real amenities.
Tulsa, OK in full
Paid remote workers to move here, and the housing math is why it worked.
The other way
Start in Tulsa.
Tulsa → Kansas City →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Tulsa than Kansas City?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Tulsa leaves about $52 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,167 in Kansas City and $967 in Tulsa.
Does Tulsa have state income tax?
Tulsa is in Oklahoma, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Kansas City to Tulsa?
The paycheck is taxed in Oklahoma. 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 Kansas City and Tulsa 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.