State comparison
Kansas vs California: which state is better to live in?
Kansas costs a median household about $2,200 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,728 a year against $5,609 in California.
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 8 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Kansas vs California
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. California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.24% of home value a year in Kansas and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,728 against $5,609, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.68% in Kansas and 8.82% in California; Kansas is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,744 a year in Kansas, $10,957 in California. Kansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Kansas's cost of living index is 86 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Kansas is about 65% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $220K in Kansas and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $570K gap in Kansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Kansas and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $4,500 a year in Kansas and $2,100 in California, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 410 incidents per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Kansas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 22% lower. Property crime is 2,225 per 100,000 in Kansas against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Kansas and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Kansas's health system 29th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
9.6% of Kansas residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. California expanded Medicaid and Kansas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas's K-12 schools 26th in the country and California's 20th, 6 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Kansas went to Trump by 20 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Kansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California 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 illegal in Kansas and legal for adults in California as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kansas and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought). Annual average air quality index is 38 in Kansas and 62 in California (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
Kansas
7
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Kansas or California better to live in?
Kansas wins more of the measures that decide a move. Kansas on taxes ($8,744 a year for a median household against $10,957); Kansas on everyday costs (index 86 against 142); Kansas on safety (410 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 26th).
Which is cheaper, Kansas or California?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 142. The median home is $220K in Kansas and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Kansas saves a median household about $2,200 a year.
Does Kansas or California have lower taxes?
Kansas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,744 a year in Kansas ($4,074 income tax, $2,728 property tax on the median home and $1,942 in sales tax) and $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Kansas or California?
Kansas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 410 per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 499 in California; property crime is 2,225 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Kansas or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas 26th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Kansas or California better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. Kansas taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,728 a year in Kansas and $5,609 in California.