State comparison
Kansas vs Colorado: 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).
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 5 categories
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Kansas vs Colorado
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 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. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.24% of home value a year in Kansas and 0.48% in Colorado (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,728 against $2,616, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.68% in Kansas and 7.76% in Colorado; Colorado 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, $7,634 in Colorado. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Kansas's cost of living index is 86 and Colorado's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Kansas is about 28% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $220K in Kansas and $545K in Colorado (Zillow, 2024), a $325K gap in Kansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Kansas and $1,850 in Colorado.
Home insurance averages $4,500 a year in Kansas and $2,800 in Colorado, so Colorado is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 410 incidents per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 453 in Colorado (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Kansas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 10% lower. Property crime is 2,225 per 100,000 in Kansas against 2,859 in Colorado, again favoring Kansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Kansas and 78.8 in Colorado (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Kansas's health system 29th of 50 and Colorado's 9th, so Colorado scores better on care.
9.6% of Kansas residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Colorado, which favors Colorado. Colorado 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 Colorado's 9th, 17 places apart in Colorado'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 Colorado went to Harris by 11 points.
Kansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, 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 illegal in Kansas and legal for adults in Colorado as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kansas and $14.42 in Colorado.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought) and high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado), so Colorado is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Kansas and 50 in Colorado (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
5
Kansas
8
Colorado
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Kansas or Colorado 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, Kansas or Colorado?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 110. The median home is $220K in Kansas and $545K in Colorado (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $1,100 a year.
Does Kansas or Colorado have lower taxes?
Colorado. 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 $7,634 in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Kansas or Colorado?
Kansas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 410 per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 453 in Colorado; property crime is 2,225 against 2,859.
Which has better schools, Kansas or Colorado?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas 26th of 50 for K-12 and Colorado 9th.
Is Kansas or Colorado better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Kansas taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,728 a year in Kansas and $2,616 in Colorado.