State comparison
Colorado vs Kansas: which state is better to live in?
Colorado costs a median household about $1,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Kansas, mostly because its income tax takes 4.4% of a median income against 5.5% in Kansas, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 110 against 86).
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 8 categories
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Kansas
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 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. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 1.24% in Kansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $2,728, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 8.68% in Kansas; Colorado is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $8,744 in Kansas. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Kansas's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Kansas is about 28% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $220K in Kansas (Zillow, 2024), a $325K gap in Kansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,050 in Kansas.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $4,500 in Kansas, so Colorado is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 410 in Kansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Kansas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 10% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,225 in Kansas, again favoring Kansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 77.2 in Kansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Kansas's 29th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 9.6% in Kansas, which favors Colorado. Colorado expanded Medicaid and Kansas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Kansas's 26th, 17 places apart in Colorado's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Kansas went to Trump by 20 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Kansas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Kansas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in Colorado and illegal in Kansas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in Kansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought), so Colorado is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 38 in Kansas (under 50 is good), favoring Kansas.
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
8
Colorado
5
Kansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Kansas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Colorado on taxes ($7,634 a year for a median household against $8,744); Kansas on everyday costs (index 86 against 110); Kansas on safety (410 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 26th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Kansas?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $220K in Kansas (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $1,100 a year.
Does Colorado or Kansas have lower taxes?
Colorado. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 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, Colorado or Kansas?
Kansas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 410 in Kansas; property crime is 2,859 against 2,225.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Kansas?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Kansas 26th.
Is Colorado or Kansas better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly 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 $2,616 a year in Colorado and $2,728 in Kansas.