State comparison
Kansas vs West Virginia: which state is better to live in?
West Virginia costs a median household about $3,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Kansas, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $883 a year against $2,728 in Kansas.
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 3 categories
West Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: Kansas vs West Virginia
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. West Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.12%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,618 a year. West Virginia wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.24% of home value a year in Kansas and 0.57% in West Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,728 against $883, so West Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.68% in Kansas and 6.37% in West Virginia; West Virginia 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, $4,927 in West Virginia. West Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Kansas's cost of living index is 86 and West Virginia's is 82, where 100 is the national average; West Virginia is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $220K in Kansas and $155K in West Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in West Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Kansas and $900 in West Virginia.
Home insurance averages $4,500 a year in Kansas and $1,100 in West Virginia, so West Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 410 incidents per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 278 in West Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); West Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 47% lower. Property crime is 2,225 per 100,000 in Kansas against 1,380 in West Virginia, again favoring West Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Kansas and 71.9 in West Virginia (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 West Virginia's 46th, so Kansas scores better on care.
9.6% of Kansas residents have no health insurance against 6.6% in West Virginia, which favors West Virginia. West Virginia 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 West Virginia's 49th, 23 places apart in Kansas's favor. West Virginia 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 West Virginia went to Trump by 36 points.
Kansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; West Virginia has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Kansas and banned with narrow exceptions in West Virginia, and marijuana is illegal in Kansas and medical only in West Virginia as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kansas and $10.12 in West Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought) and moderate in West Virginia (flood, ice-storm, tornado), so West Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Kansas and 44 in West Virginia (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
3
Kansas
12
West Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Kansas or West Virginia better to live in?
West Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. West Virginia on taxes ($4,927 a year for a median household against $8,744); West Virginia on everyday costs (index 82 against 86); West Virginia on safety (278 violent crimes per 100,000 against 410); Kansas on schools (ranked 26th against 49th).
Which is cheaper, Kansas or West Virginia?
West Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 86. The median home is $220K in Kansas and $155K in West Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes West Virginia saves a median household about $3,800 a year.
Does Kansas or West Virginia have lower taxes?
West Virginia. 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 $4,927 in West Virginia ($2,618 income tax, $883 property tax on the median home and $1,425 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Kansas or West Virginia?
West Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 410 per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 278 in West Virginia; property crime is 2,225 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Kansas or West Virginia?
Kansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas 26th of 50 for K-12 and West Virginia 49th. West Virginia also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Kansas or West Virginia better for retirees?
West Virginia is friendlier to retirees on paper. Kansas taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; West Virginia 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 $883 in West Virginia.