State comparison
Alabama vs Kansas: which state is better to live in?
Alabama costs a median household about $2,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Kansas, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $850 a year against $2,728 in Kansas.
Alabama
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 6 categories
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Alabama vs Kansas
Alabama has a graduated income tax topping out at 5%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,689 a year. Kansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.7%, which works out to 5.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,074 a year. Alabama wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.39% of home value a year in Alabama and 1.24% in Kansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $850 against $2,728, so Alabama has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.22% in Alabama and 8.68% in Kansas; Kansas is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,602 a year in Alabama, $8,744 in Kansas. Alabama is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alabama's cost of living index is 87 and Kansas's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Kansas is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $218K in Alabama and $220K in Kansas (Zillow, 2024), a $2K gap in Alabama's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Alabama and $1,050 in Kansas.
Home insurance averages $2,400 a year in Alabama and $4,500 in Kansas, so Alabama is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 547 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 410 in Kansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Kansas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 33% lower. Property crime is 2,247 per 100,000 in Alabama against 2,225 in Kansas, again favoring Kansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.2 years in Alabama and 77.2 in Kansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.0-year edge for Kansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alabama's health system 41st of 50 and Kansas's 29th, so Kansas scores better on care.
11.2% of Alabama residents have no health insurance against 9.6% in Kansas, which favors Kansas. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama's K-12 schools 44th in the country and Kansas's 26th, 18 places apart in Kansas's favor. Alabama runs a school-choice voucher program; Kansas does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Alabama went to Trump by 28 points and Kansas went to Trump by 20 points.
Alabama has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Kansas has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Alabama and protected by state law in Kansas, and marijuana is medical only in Alabama and illegal in Kansas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Alabama and $7.25 in Kansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alabama (tornado, flood) and very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought), so Alabama is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Alabama and 38 in Kansas (under 50 is good).
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Alabama
8
Kansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alabama or Kansas better to live in?
Kansas wins more of the measures that decide a move. Alabama on taxes ($6,602 a year for a median household against $8,744); Kansas on everyday costs (index 86 against 87); Kansas on safety (410 violent crimes per 100,000 against 547); Kansas on schools (ranked 26th against 44th).
Which is cheaper, Alabama or Kansas?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 87. The median home is $218K in Alabama and $220K in Kansas (2024). On state and local taxes Alabama saves a median household about $2,100 a year.
Does Alabama or Kansas have lower taxes?
Alabama. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,602 a year in Alabama ($3,689 income tax, $850 property tax on the median home and $2,063 in sales tax) and $8,744 in Kansas ($4,074 income tax, $2,728 property tax on the median home and $1,942 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alabama or Kansas?
Kansas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 547 per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 410 in Kansas; property crime is 2,247 against 2,225.
Which has better schools, Alabama or Kansas?
Kansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama 44th of 50 for K-12 and Kansas 26th. Alabama also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Alabama or Kansas better for retirees?
Alabama is friendlier to retirees on paper. Alabama does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Kansas taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $850 a year in Alabama and $2,728 in Kansas.