Moving from Alabama to Kansas
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Alabama and Kansas, side by side.
Moving to Kansas costs about
About the same
Alabama and Kansas work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Housing (median rent) is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Alabama to Kansas, housing (median rent) moves the most: about $53 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Alabama vs Kansas at a glance
| Alabama | Kansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $209,900 | $217,200 |
| Median rent | $1,007/mo | $1,060/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.00% | Up to 5.58% |
| Property tax rate | 0.38% | 1.29% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 94 |
| Utilities | 85 | 88 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | AL | KS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,007 | $1,060 | +$53 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $311 | $305 | -$6 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $7 | None | -$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $58 | $92 | +$34 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,767 | $1,724 | -$43 |
| Utilities | $346 | $361 | +$15 |
| Total | +$50 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,200 to $4,900
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $650 to $1,000, against roughly $250 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Birmingham is not Alabama-average and Wichita is not Kansas-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.