State comparison
Indiana vs Kansas: which state is better to live in?
Indiana costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Kansas, mostly because its income tax takes 3.0% of a median income against 5.5% in Kansas.
Indiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 7 categories
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Indiana vs Kansas
Indiana has a flat 3.05% income tax, which works out to 3.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,200 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. Indiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in Indiana and 1.24% in Kansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,704 against $2,728, so Indiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Indiana and 8.68% in Kansas; Indiana is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,470 a year in Indiana, $8,744 in Kansas. Indiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Indiana'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 $240K in Indiana and $220K in Kansas (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in Kansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Indiana and $1,050 in Kansas.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Indiana and $4,500 in Kansas, so Indiana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 396 incidents per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 410 in Kansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Indiana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 4% lower. Property crime is 1,767 per 100,000 in Indiana against 2,225 in Kansas, again favoring Indiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Indiana and 77.2 in Kansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Kansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Indiana's health system 42nd of 50 and Kansas's 29th, so Kansas scores better on care.
8.9% of Indiana residents have no health insurance against 9.6% in Kansas, which favors Indiana. Indiana expanded Medicaid and Kansas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana's K-12 schools 27th in the country and Kansas's 26th, 1 places apart in Kansas's favor. Indiana runs a school-choice voucher program; Kansas does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Indiana went to Trump by 19 points and Kansas went to Trump by 20 points.
Indiana 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 Indiana and protected by state law in Kansas, and marijuana is illegal in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Indiana and $7.25 in Kansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Indiana (tornado, flood) and very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought), so Indiana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 48 in Indiana 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
7
Indiana
8
Kansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Indiana or Kansas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Indiana on taxes ($5,470 a year for a median household against $8,744); Kansas on everyday costs (index 86 against 87); Indiana on safety (396 violent crimes per 100,000 against 410); Kansas on schools (ranked 26th against 27th).
Which is cheaper, Indiana or Kansas?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 87. The median home is $240K in Indiana and $220K in Kansas (2024). On state and local taxes Indiana saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Indiana or Kansas have lower taxes?
Indiana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,470 a year in Indiana ($2,200 income tax, $1,704 property tax on the median home and $1,566 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, Indiana or Kansas?
Indiana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 396 per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 410 in Kansas; property crime is 1,767 against 2,225.
Which has better schools, Indiana or Kansas?
Kansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana 27th of 50 for K-12 and Kansas 26th. Indiana also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Indiana or Kansas better for retirees?
Indiana is friendlier to retirees on paper. Indiana does not tax 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 $1,704 a year in Indiana and $2,728 in Kansas.