Cost of Living in Wichita, KS, United States

RESTAURANTS

Wichita has more restaurants per capita than almost anywhere in the world.

It flaunts a lot of chain restaurants, too but if you look you can find some originals that are really good.

Braum’s and Freddy’s are the local burger joints.

On top of all this, the food is really cheap: a meal in an inexpensive restaurant is around 18$.

MARKETS

The local grocer in Wichita is Dillions – a great, not very expensive grocery store with tons of variety.

If you know how to cook, you will find all the ingredients you need here which is great news because you can save a ton of money this way.

You should know that supermarkets keep basically the same prices as all the other stores along the country.

TRANSPORTATION

City Bus is the only form of public transit serving the city, but it’s infamous for its long routes are long and hour-long waits.

Taxi can be hailed only at the airport, while parking is almost always free and plentiful, even downtown.

Car ownership and maintenance are unavoidable expenses unless you have an ideally placed job/house/grocery store combination.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

When it comes to utilities, be prepared to spend around 200$ per month for electricity, water, and gas.

When there’s heavy usage of utilities, like during winter or summer, the utility bill will likely double.

For an apartment around 85m2 (which is definitely bigger than a usual apartment for one or two people) these will cost you 180$ approximately.

SPORTS & LEISURE

There are numerous local parks and fishing ponds in the city.

The Arkansas River runs right through the center of Wichita, and as close to 30 minutes outside of town, you can find several different state parks where you can go fishing, swimming, water skiing, boating, barbecuing, or camping.

A membership at the gym or a fitness club costs around 47$.

CLOTHING & SHOES

Wichita is improving in its shopping options and has a lot of development out east and out west.

There are a couple of malls and markets: New Market Square, Towne East Square Mall, Towne West Square Mall, etc.

These are all huge malls similar to those you find everywhere else.

If you want a pair of Levi’s, it will cost you around 45$.

Quality sneakers cost around 78$.

RENT PER MONTH

Wichita is very affordable when it comes to housing and renting.

There is a fair number of studios under 400$.

There are more upscale one and two-bedroom apartments available in the 900$-1200$ range, but they have more of an old warehouse feel or they’re a trendy remodel.

Rent truly varies and depends on many factors, like what time of year you’re going and if you’re renting a flat or sharing an apartment (and a room) with someone.