Cost Of Living In Clay Center, KS

Clay Center cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Clay Center	Kansas	National
Cost of living index	82	90	100
Index	Clay Center	Kansas	National
Goods & Services index	95	96	100
Groceries index	94	93	100
Health care index	94	97	100
Housing index	57	76	100
Transportation index	92	93	100
Utilities index	88	98	100

Displayed above is a general overview of the Clay Center, KS cost of living index. The overall cost of living index in Clay Center, KS is 82, which is 8% lower than the Kansas average and 18% lower than the national average. The cost of living index is created from the following categories: goods/services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). As you can see, goods/services and housing make up the majority of the overall cost of living index. Everyday goods and services can be a good indicator of the general cost of goods in a given city. In this case, the goods and services in Clay Center, KS are 1% lower than the Kansas average and 5% lower than the national average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Clay Center is 8% lower than the Kansas average.
The cost of living in Clay Center is 18% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in Clay Center is 43% lower than the national average.
Kansas general sales tax is 21% higher than the national average.
Kansas state income tax is 21% higher than the national average.

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Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

The salary calculator allows you to compare how much your current salary in Clay Center, KS would be worth in another city. In other words, the salary calculator will adjust the figure you enter for cost of living so that you can determine how much more or much less you would need to earn while maintaining your current quality of living. If you are considering relocating to a more expensive city than Clay Center, KS, the calculator will tell you how much more you need to earn so you can assess job offers more accurately. The Clay Center, KS salary calculator is easy to use. All you do is enter the name of another city, then move the slider to your current income. After that, the salary calculator will crunch the numbers for you and give you the information you need about the place you are considering going. Additionally, it will show a detailed breakdown of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$49,000	$4,083	$1,143	$1,470
Renters	$25,357	$2,113	$592	$761

If you want to find a good determining factor for the cost of living and the general affordability of housing in Clay Center, KS, all you must look at is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Clay Center, KS, the median monthly income is $49,000 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,143 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $25,357, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $592 on monthly rental expenses.

Kansas Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Kansas	6.15%	9.65%

Kansas Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Kansas	2.7%	4.6%

The Kansas sales tax and Kansas income tax rates should definitely be considered when determining the overall cost of living in Clay Center, KS. Sales taxes are taxes that are imposed onto goods and services sold. Sales taxes do vary by state and can range from no tax at all to upwards of 7%. The Kansas sales tax is 6.15% and the maximum surtax is 9.65%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by the government. The income tax rates will vary by state and will also increase or decrease depending on the corresponding tax bracket. State income tax rates can range from anywhere from no tax at all to more than 9%. The Kansas income tax rates range from 2.7% to 4.6%.

Goods & Services

Item	Clay Center	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$13.62	$15.56	12.5%
Beauty Salon	$32.14	$36.11	11.0%
Toothpaste	$2.50	$2.47	1.2%
Shampoo	$0.81	$0.96	16.1%
Movie	$10.50	$10.13	3.7%
Bowling	$3.38	$4.74	28.6%

Groceries

Item	Clay Center	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.54	$3.98	11.2%
Fried Chicken	$1.57	$1.41	11.8%
Milk	$1.81	$2.06	12.5%
Potatoes	$2.42	$2.98	18.7%
Pizza	$9.50	$9.47	0.3%
Beer	$8.15	$8.79	7.4%

Health Care

Item	Clay Center	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$149.83	$101.04	48.3%
Doctor	$88.83	$107.44	17.3%
Dentist	$82.11	$90.42	9.2%
Ibuprofen	$8.69	$9.28	6.4%
Lipitor	$419.49	$426.50	1.6%

Housing

Item	Clay Center	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$89,100.00	$175,700.00	49.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$990.84	$1,133.23	12.6%
Apartment Rent	$649.00	$920.00	29.5%

Transportation

Item	Clay Center	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$1.87	$1.99	6.2%
Tire Balancing	$39.93	$45.76	12.7%

Utilities

Item	Clay Center	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$166.07	$163.81	1.4%
Phone	$20.00	$28.39	29.5%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Oak Hill, KS	15	69	-31%
Vining, KS	41	73	-27%
Clifton, KS	577	75	-25%
Green, KS	144	76	-24%
Clyde, KS	796	78	-22%
Clay Center, KS	4,280	82	-18%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
North Kansas City, MO	4,280	92	-8%
Hurstbourne, KY	4,280	117	17%
Pendleton, IN	4,279	92	-8%
Liberty, NY	4,281	93	-7%
Barrett, TX	4,282	87	-13%
Clay Center, KS	4,280	82	-18%

Source: The Clay Center, KS cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for the fourth quarter of 2016.

Clay Center, KS Cost of Living