State comparison
Kansas vs Mississippi: which state is better to live in?
Mississippi costs a median household about $3,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Kansas, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,152 a year against $2,728 in Kansas.
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 4 categories
Mississippi
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Kansas vs Mississippi
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. Mississippi has a flat 4.7% income tax, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,583 a year. Mississippi wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.24% of home value a year in Kansas and 0.64% in Mississippi (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,728 against $1,152, so Mississippi has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.68% in Kansas and 7.07% in Mississippi; Mississippi 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, $5,317 in Mississippi. Mississippi is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Kansas's cost of living index is 86 and Mississippi's is 82, where 100 is the national average; Mississippi is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $220K in Kansas and $180K in Mississippi (Zillow, 2024), a $40K gap in Mississippi's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Kansas and $950 in Mississippi.
Home insurance averages $4,500 a year in Kansas and $2,500 in Mississippi, so Mississippi is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 410 incidents per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 283 in Mississippi (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Mississippi is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 45% lower. Property crime is 2,225 per 100,000 in Kansas against 2,080 in Mississippi, again favoring Mississippi.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Kansas and 71.9 in Mississippi (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.3-year edge for Kansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Kansas's health system 29th of 50 and Mississippi's 47th, so Kansas scores better on care.
9.6% of Kansas residents have no health insurance against 16.8% in Mississippi, which favors Kansas. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas's K-12 schools 26th in the country and Mississippi's 50th, 24 places apart in Kansas's favor. Mississippi 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 Mississippi went to Trump by 17 points.
Kansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Mississippi has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Kansas and banned with narrow exceptions in Mississippi, and marijuana is illegal in Kansas and medical only in Mississippi as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kansas and $7.25 in Mississippi.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought) and very high in Mississippi (hurricane, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 38 in Kansas and 32 in Mississippi (under 50 is good), favoring Mississippi.
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
4
Kansas
11
Mississippi
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 Mississippi better to live in?
Mississippi wins more of the measures that decide a move. Mississippi on taxes ($5,317 a year for a median household against $8,744); Mississippi on everyday costs (index 82 against 86); Mississippi on safety (283 violent crimes per 100,000 against 410); Kansas on schools (ranked 26th against 50th).
Which is cheaper, Kansas or Mississippi?
Mississippi is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 86. The median home is $220K in Kansas and $180K in Mississippi (2024). On state and local taxes Mississippi saves a median household about $3,400 a year.
Does Kansas or Mississippi have lower taxes?
Mississippi. 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 $5,317 in Mississippi ($2,583 income tax, $1,152 property tax on the median home and $1,582 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Kansas or Mississippi?
Mississippi, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 410 per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 283 in Mississippi; property crime is 2,225 against 2,080.
Which has better schools, Kansas or Mississippi?
Kansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas 26th of 50 for K-12 and Mississippi 50th. Mississippi also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Kansas or Mississippi better for retirees?
Mississippi is friendlier to retirees on paper. Kansas taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Mississippi does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,728 a year in Kansas and $1,152 in Mississippi.