Moving from Kansas to Alabama
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 Kansas and Alabama, side by side.
Moving to Alabama costs about
About the same
Kansas and Alabama 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 Kansas to Alabama, housing (median rent) moves the most: about $53 a month less, which is most of the whole difference.
Kansas vs Alabama at a glance
| Kansas | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $217,200 | $209,900 |
| Median rent | $1,060/mo | $1,007/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.58% | Up to 5.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.29% | 0.38% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 96 |
| Utilities | 88 | 85 |
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 | KS | AL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,060 | $1,007 | -$53 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $305 | $311 | +$6 |
| Local income tax (state average) | None | $7 | +$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $92 | $58 | -$34 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,724 | $1,767 | +$43 |
| Utilities | $361 | $346 | -$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. Wichita is not Kansas-average and Birmingham is not Alabama-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.