Independence, KS Cost Of Living

Independence 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	Independence	Kansas	National
Cost of living index	78	89	100
Index	Independence	Kansas	National
Goods & Services index	87	95	100
Groceries index	99	94	100
Health care index	89	95	100
Housing index	46	76	100
Transportation index	88	93	100
Utilities index	102	98	100

A general summary of the cost of living index in Independence, KS is shown above. Compared to the state average of Kansas the cost of living index in Independence, KS is 78, which is 13% lower than the average in Kansas and compared to the national average it is 22% lower than. The cost of living index is made up of several categories. These are transportation at 9%, utilities at 10%, goods and services at 33%, housing at 30%, groceries at 13%, and health care at 5%. The bulk of the cost of living index comes from the categories of goods and services and housing. If you look at everyday goods and services they can be a good indicator in a certain city of the general costs of goods there. In Independence, KS goods and services come in at 8% lower than the average in Kansas and are 13% lower than compared to the nationwide average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Independence is 13% lower than the Kansas average.
The cost of living in Independence is 22% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in Independence is 54% lower than the national average.
Kansas general sales tax is 28% higher than the national average.
Kansas state income tax is 30% higher than the national average.

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Price difference in compared to

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

Use the salary calculator to compare your current income in Independence, KS to any other city in the country. The calculator will tell you how much income you would need to make in a particular city to live at the same level based on the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the city you are looking to move to is higher than that of Independence, KS, then you would need to earn a higher salary in order to enjoy the same standard of living. To use the Independence, KS salary calculator, enter the name of the new city, then move the slider to your current salary level. The salary calculator will do the rest and let you know if your salary would need to increase or decrease for the new city. You will also see a complete overview 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	$48,830	$4,069	$1,139	$1,465
Renters	$23,854	$1,988	$557	$716

A good way to judge both the affordability of the housing and the cost of living is by simply calculating the maximum that a person should spend on housing in Independence, KS, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The safest way to live in the city is to avoid spending more than 28 percent of the gross income that one earns on costs that pertain to housing and no more than 36 percent on all expenses and debts. Independence, KS has a median income of about $48,830 for people who own homes. Based on that number, a person should spend a maximum of $1,139 on expenses related to housing. Renters have a slightly different median income, which is $23,854. Based on this average, renters should spend no more than $557 on all of their rental costs if they want to maintain a non-impoverished standard of living.

Kansas Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Kansas	6.5%	10.15%

Kansas Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Kansas	2.9%	5.2%

For those who live in Independence, KS and want to know what the true cost of living is, they ought to look at both the Kansas income tax rate and the Kansas sales tax rate. By sales tax, we mean the taxes that are included whenever a person is purchasing any goods or services. The amount that is taxed depends upon the particular state, where some states have a sales tax of zero percent while others can have a tax higher than seven percent. In Kansas, the sales tax is 6.5%, while the most you'll pay in surtax is 10.15%. There is also income tax to consider, which is based upon the amount of money made in a year. Just like sales tax, income tax depends upon the particular state but also depends upon what tax bracket the person is in. Income tax for the state can be higher than nine percent in some states to zero percent in others. For those that live in Kansas, the income tax rate ranges between 2.9% to 5.2%.

Goods & Services

Item	Independence	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$12.94	$16.09	19.5%
Beauty Salon	$32.01	$37.33	14.3%
Toothpaste	$1.98	$2.45	19.2%
Shampoo	$0.83	$1.00	17.5%
Movie	$5.98	$10.28	41.8%
Bowling	$3.93	$4.93	20.3%

Groceries

Item	Independence	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.90	$3.80	2.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.15	$1.40	17.4%
Milk	$1.59	$2.01	20.9%
Potatoes	$2.90	$3.01	3.6%
Pizza	$8.46	$9.89	14.4%
Beer	$8.53	$8.90	4.2%

Health Care

Item	Independence	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$74.58	$102.16	27.0%
Doctor	$90.02	$108.36	16.9%
Dentist	$83.09	$92.53	10.2%
Ibuprofen	$8.41	$9.28	9.4%
Lipitor	$414.07	$425.82	2.8%

Housing

Item	Independence	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$68,100.00	$184,700.00	63.1%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$836.18	$1,202.44	30.5%
Apartment Rent	$651.00	$949.00	31.4%

Transportation

Item	Independence	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.07	$2.24	7.7%
Tire Balancing	$37.02	$46.29	20.0%

Utilities

Item	Independence	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$167.21	$165.96	0.7%
Phone	$29.92	$28.68	4.3%

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.
Havana, KS	122	76	-24%
Elk City, KS	263	74	-26%
Cherryvale, KS	2,220	75	-25%
Neodesha, KS	2,034	75	-25%
Liberty, KS	259	76	-24%
Independence, KS	9,084	78	-22%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Saline, MI	9,082	100	0%
Versailles, KY	9,091	90	-10%
Triangle, VA	9,092	133	33%
Beverly Hills, FL	9,073	86	-14%
Georgetown, SC	9,071	94	-6%
Independence, KS	9,084	78	-22%

Source: The Independence, KS cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Independence, KS Cost of Living