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San Antonio vs. Kansas City

San Antonio, TX  ·  Kansas City, MO

TL;DR

San Antonio cost-of-living index is 92 vs 92 for Kansas City (US = 100). Median home: $270,000 vs $270,000. Median rent: $899/mo vs $1,146/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-06-13

San Antonio and Kansas City have similar costs of living.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-06-13

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Home Price

TX: $270,000

MO: $270,000

Monthly Rent

TX: $899/mo

MO: $1,146/mo

COL Index

TX: 92

MO: 92

Median Income

TX: $58,600

MO: $67,800

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
San Antonio
Kansas City
Lower / Higher

Median Home Price

$270,000
$270,000
Comparable

Monthly Rent (Median)

$899/mo
$1,146/mo
↓San Antonio

Median Household Income

$58,600
$67,800
↓Kansas City

Property Tax Rate

1.8%
1%
↓Kansas City

Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

92
92
Comparable

Avg. Commute

26 min
23 min
↓Kansas City

Unemployment Rate

3.8%
3.7%
↓Kansas City

Median Age

34.3 yrs
35.7 yrs
↓Kansas City

What This Means For You

Headline insight

Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in San Antonio has the same purchasing power as $100,000 in Kansas City— based on each city's cost of living index.

Housing

Home prices are similar in both cities — within 1% of each other.

Renting

Renting in San Antonio saves $247/month — $2,964 per year. Median rent: $899/mo in San Antonio vs $1,146/mo in Kansas City.

Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, San Antonio owners pay roughly $4,860/year vs $2,700/year in Kansas City. That's a $2,160 annual difference.

Local Earnings

Median household income is $58,600 in San Antonio and $67,800 in Kansas City. San Antonio residents earn 16% more — but factor in cost of living.

Daily Commute

Average commute is 26 minutes in San Antonio vs 23 minutes in Kansas City. Commute times are nearly identical.

Salary Equivalence

To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from San Antonio to Kansas City, here's the salary you'd need:

Salary in San AntonioEquivalent in Kansas CityDifference
$50,000$50,000$0
$75,000$75,000$0
$100,000$100,000$0
$150,000$150,000$0
$200,000$200,000$0

* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.

Run the Numbers

Mortgage Calculator

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Rent vs Buy

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Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

Home Appreciation

Project future home value growth

Affordability Calculator

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Property Tax Calculator

Estimate taxes in San Antonio or Kansas City

San Antonio Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for San Antonio→ Rent vs buy in San Antonio

Kansas City Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Kansas City→ Rent vs buy in Kansas City

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San Antonio vs Kansas City: Common Questions

Is San Antonio or Kansas City cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, Kansas City is cheaper overall. San Antonio has a COL index of 92 while Kansas City scores 92 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between San Antonio and Kansas City?

The median home price in San Antonio is $270,000 vs $270,000 in Kansas City — a difference of $0 (0%).

What salary do I need in Kansas City to match my San Antonio income?

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in San Antonio is equivalent to $100,000 in Kansas City in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Kansas City has a lower property tax rate (1% vs 1.8%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $2,700/year vs $4,860/year.

How does rent compare in San Antonio vs Kansas City?

Median monthly rent: $899 in San Antonio vs $1,146 in Kansas City. Annualized: $10,788 vs $13,752.

What is the median household income in each city?

San Antonio: $58,600/yr. Kansas City: $67,800/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost Kansas City typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.

Where does the data on this comparison come from?

Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.

How often is this comparison updated?

Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.

Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?

No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.

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Sources & Citations

  1. Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
  3. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
  4. Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
  6. Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions

City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].

The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.

Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.

Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.

Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.

Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.

Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed 2026-06-13.