Colorado and Kansas at a glance
Moving between Colorado and Kansas changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Colorado leaves $22,208 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Kansas leaves $28,860.
Kansas comes out ahead by $6,652 a year ($554 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 5,862,189 people in 64 counties in Colorado and 2,947,197 people in 105 counties in Kansas.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. State income tax takes $1,980 in Colorado and $2,548 in Kansas, which leaves take-home pay of $48,359 and $47,790.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $75,161 in Colorado and $74,121 in Kansas, a difference of $1,040. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $1,606 a month in Colorado and $1,004 in Kansas, so Kansas is $602 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $1,987 and $2,011, and gasoline $1,451 and $1,436. Together the basics cost $26,151 a year in Colorado and $18,931 in Kansas.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $95,470 in Colorado and $74,275 in Kansas. Homeowners pay a median of $2,602 a year in property tax in Colorado and $2,798 in Kansas. Commuters travel 25.2 minutes each way on average in Colorado and 19.7 in Kansas.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.