Kansas vs Missouri: take-home pay and taxes
On a $75,000 salary you take home $58,207 a year in Kansas and $58,993 in Missouri — $786 more in Missouri. But prices are about 1% higher in Missouri, so moving from Kansas to Missouri on the same take-home after prices takes $74,534.
| Per year | Offer A · Kansas | Offer B · Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Pay (salary and bonus) | $75,000 | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$7,670 | −$7,670 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$5,737 | −$5,737 |
| State and local taxes | −$3,386 | −$2,600 |
| Take-home | $58,207 | $58,993 |
| Offer value (take-home + match + benefits − commute) | $58,207 | $58,993 |
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | 90.1 | 90.8 |
| Value in U.S.-average prices | $64,625 | $64,958 |
Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for the state — what the same things cost there compared with the U.S. average, housing included. It's an average for the whole state, not a budget. The matching salary keeps Offer A's take-home after prices, with the same W-4 and no 401(k) or benefits.
Take-home pay in Kansas and Missouri
| Salary | Kansas take-home | Missouri take-home | Kansas state taxes | Missouri state taxes | Missouri vs Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $40,364 | $40,951 | $1,991 | $1,404 | +$587 |
| $75,000 | $58,207 | $58,993 | $3,386 | $2,600 | +$786 |
| $100,000 | $74,399 | $75,410 | $4,781 | $3,770 | +$1,011 |
| $150,000 | $106,220 | $107,681 | $7,571 | $6,110 | +$1,461 |
| $200,000 | $138,566 | $140,477 | $10,361 | $8,450 | +$1,911 |
A year. Single filer, paid every two weeks, standard W-4, each state's default form choices, no 401(k) or benefits. Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare are the same in both; the whole difference is state and local tax and state payroll premiums.
What makes up the difference
- Kansas: a graduated income tax — $3,386 a year on $75,000.
- Missouri: a graduated income tax, plus City earnings tax (St. Louis or KCMO) — $2,600 a year on $75,000.
The salary you'd need to move
| Salary now | Kansas → Missouri: same take-home | … after prices | Missouri → Kansas: same take-home | … after prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $59,125 | $59,653 | $60,905 | $60,370 |
| $75,000 | $73,772 | $74,534 | $76,213 | $75,462 |
| $100,000 | $98,453 | $99,406 | $101,560 | $100,600 |
"After prices" uses the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024: Kansas 90.1, Missouri 90.8 (U.S. = 100). Housing is most of the gap — rents are 71.2 in Kansas and 69.9 in Missouri on the same scale. These are state averages: a big city can cost well above its state's figure. See what rent fits in Kansas and Missouri. On $75,000, the reverse move — Missouri to Kansas — needs $75,462 for the same take-home after prices; Kansas is the cheaper state.
Who moves between them
About 18,446 people moved from Kansas to Missouri and 21,660 from Missouri to Kansas in 2024, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey — one of the 40 busiest pairs of states we cover. Survey estimates have margins of error.
If you move: your W-4 and state forms
Your federal W-4 doesn't change with the state. Give your employer Missouri's withholding form so it withholds Missouri tax, and make sure Kansas withholding stops once you no longer live or work there. Moving mid-year usually means a part-year resident return in both states. Working remotely for an employer in the other state has its own rules — see the moving between states tax guide.
How it's worked out
- Take-home in each state from the same engine as our paycheck calculators: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Social Security and Medicare, and each state's own withholding formula, payroll premiums and default form choices.
- Prices from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024 (released 2026-02-19): each state's price level for everyday spending, with the U.S. at 100. Dividing take-home by it puts both offers in the same dollars.
- The matching salary is found by searching salaries in the second state until its take-home, after prices, equals the first — to the cent.
More comparisons
Kansas paycheck calculator · Missouri paycheck calculator · Job offer comparison · Salary needed to move
Sources
- BEA — Real Personal Consumption Expenditures by State and Real Personal Income by State, 2024 (Feb 19, 2026) — Regional Price Parities: California 110.7, Hawaii 110.0, D.C. 109.9, New Jersey 108.8 highest; Arkansas 86.9 lowest; full table SARPP in BEA's interactive data (checked 2026-09-27)
- FRED (St. Louis Fed) — 2024 Regional Price Parities by State (BEA data) — all items, goods, rents and other services for every state and D.C. (checked 2026-09-27)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- U.S. Census Bureau — State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024 (ACS 1-year, Table 1) — movers age 1 and over by current state and state of residence one year earlier; estimates with margins of error (checked 2026-09-27)
- Kansas Department of Revenue — KW-100 Withholding Tax Guide (Rev. 10-24), p. 8 — supplemental wages: same method as federal; if federal is a flat percentage, Kansas 5% of the gross payment ($1,000 bonus → $50) (read 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Department of Revenue — 2026 Missouri Withholding Tax Formula — annual method; standard deductions $16,100 / $32,200 / $24,150; rate table 0%–4.7% in $1,348 steps; worked example $35,000 → $707.81, $59.00 a month; 4.7% supplemental
Questions
Do you take home more in Kansas or Missouri?
In Missouri: $786 more a year on $75,000 (single filer). Kansas state taxes are $3,386 and Missouri's $2,600 on that salary.
What salary in Missouri equals $75,000 in Kansas?
$73,772 for the same take-home pay, or $74,534 for the same take-home after prices (BEA Regional Price Parities: Kansas 90.1, Missouri 90.8).
Is Kansas or Missouri cheaper to live in?
Kansas: BEA puts prices about 1% lower there than in Missouri on average, mostly because of housing. Costs vary a lot between cities within each state.