State comparison
Kansas vs Indiana: 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.
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 8 categories
Indiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Kansas vs Indiana
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 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. Indiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.24% of home value a year in Kansas and 0.71% in Indiana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,728 against $1,704, so Indiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.68% in Kansas and 7.00% in Indiana; Indiana 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, $5,470 in Indiana. Indiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Kansas's cost of living index is 86 and Indiana's is 87, where 100 is the national average; Kansas is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $220K in Kansas and $240K in Indiana (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in Kansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Kansas and $1,100 in Indiana.
Home insurance averages $4,500 a year in Kansas and $1,500 in Indiana, so Indiana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 410 incidents per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 396 in Indiana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Indiana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 4% lower. Property crime is 2,225 per 100,000 in Kansas against 1,767 in Indiana, again favoring Indiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Kansas and 75.5 in Indiana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Kansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Kansas's health system 29th of 50 and Indiana's 42nd, so Kansas scores better on care.
9.6% of Kansas residents have no health insurance against 8.9% in Indiana, which favors Indiana. Indiana 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 Indiana's 27th, 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 Kansas went to Trump by 20 points and Indiana went to Trump by 19 points.
Kansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Indiana has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Kansas and banned with narrow exceptions in Indiana, and marijuana is illegal in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kansas and $7.25 in Indiana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought) and moderate in Indiana (tornado, flood), so Indiana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Kansas and 48 in Indiana (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
Indiana
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Kansas or Indiana 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, Kansas or Indiana?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 87. The median home is $220K in Kansas and $240K in Indiana (2024). On state and local taxes Indiana saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Kansas or Indiana have lower taxes?
Indiana. 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 $5,470 in Indiana ($2,200 income tax, $1,704 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Kansas or Indiana?
Indiana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 410 per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 396 in Indiana; property crime is 2,225 against 1,767.
Which has better schools, Kansas or Indiana?
Kansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas 26th of 50 for K-12 and Indiana 27th. Indiana also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Kansas or Indiana better for retirees?
Indiana is friendlier to retirees on paper. Kansas taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Indiana does not tax 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 $1,704 in Indiana.