Living in Wichita, KS
Mid-size city in Kansas
Wichita is a mid-size city in Kansas, home to about 396,000 people, with 583,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Wichita a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $208k and rents for $1,440 a month
- Strong healthcare: 6 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Low natural disaster risk: 6 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Smaller job market: about 583,000 people live within 31 mi
- Higher crime: violent crime is 3.0× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Wichita ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Wichita: common questions
What is the cost of living in Wichita?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $208k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,440 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 89, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Wichita?
Kansas collects about $1,592 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.18% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Wichita safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (3.0× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Wichita?
Wichita has cool winters: winter days average around 46°F and summer days around 91°F, with roughly 13″ of snow a year.
Does Wichita get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, tornadoes and cold waves: 6 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.62 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Wichita?
The nearest major airport is TUL, about 131 mi away.
How Wichita scores
Each bar compares Wichita with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Wichita right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.