Cost Of Living in Wathena, KS

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14%

Overall NAT. AVG.

5%

Groceries NAT. AVG.

36%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: These cost of living estimates reflect 2026 modeled data using U.S. Census housing inputs and AI-assisted city-level pricing models.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living score is 90, then the estimated cost of living is 10% lower than the national average. If the score is 110, then the estimated cost of living is 10% higher than average. The overall index is calculated using weighted estimates across major everyday expense categories, including housing (30%), groceries (16%), transportation (12%), healthcare (10%), utilities (8%), lifestyle and entertainment (8%), household expenses (8%), and education and childcare (8%). All values are AI-assisted city-level estimates designed for directional comparisons.
Index	Wathena	Kansas	National
Cost of living	86	90	100
Groceries	95	97	100
Health care	97	96	100
Housing	64	77	100
Transportation	95	96	100
Utilities	97	95	100
Lifestyle & Entertainment	99	94	100
Household Items	97	97	100
Education & Childcare	93	93	100

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Homes For Sale In Wathena, KS

Atlantic St

Elwood, KS

1869 190th Rd

Wathena, KS

506 N 3rd St

Wathena, KS

1205 Vermont ST

Elwood, KS

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Wathena is 4% lower than the Kansas average
The cost of living in Wathena is 14% lower than the national average
Wathena housing is 36% lower than the national average
Kansas general sales tax is 27% higher than the national average
Kansas state income tax is 19% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index
Lifestyle index
Household index
Educare index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$100,768	$8,397	$2,351	$3,023
Renters	$39,463	$3,289	$921	$1,184

Kansas Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Kansas	6.5%	11.5%

Kansas Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Kansas	3.1%	4.7%

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Rushville, MO	299	79	21.4%
Amazonia, MO	320	82	18.3%
Elwood, KS	980	82	18.1%
Cosby, MO	206	83	16.8%
De Kalb, MO	453	84	16.3%
Wathena, KS	1,561	86	13.8%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Montague, CA	1,561	101	1.4%
Oakwood, IL	1,561	86	14.0%
Southside Place, TX	1,561	270	170.3%
West Baraboo, WI	1,561	96	3.7%
Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, QC	1,561	n/a
Wathena, KS	1,561	86	13.8%