Rents are right about where Wichita's 10-year trend predicts.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,159 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in Wichita usually run 0.7% below trend in January and 0.6% above it in August, about $15 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Wichita is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in January 2015.
Rent in Wichita changed +4.4% over the year to September 2026. Across the 21 Kansas cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +4.2%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Wichita rose 35.2% while median household income rose 22.8% ($52,620 to $64,620). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Wichita is 43.1% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 19 months in a row, and rose in 12 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($64,620) is $1,616 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 3-bedroom ($1,408); a 4-bedroom is $1,721.
The priciest of 16 ZIP codes in Wichita, 67220 ($1,555/mo), costs 1.6 times the cheapest, 67214 ($944/mo).
Newton, 27 miles away, rents for 13% less ($1,007/mo), about $1,800 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Wichita. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Wichita, KS is majority owner-occupied, has a median income below the national average, 31.1% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Wichita, KS has changed in 5 years
Rent in Wichita, KS has increased 34.1% since 2021, going from about $864 per month to roughly $1,159 today. Census figures show median household income at $64,620 today, compared with $56,374 five years earlier. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 19.5 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. The combined trend lines point to a market that has changed measurably from where it stood in early 2021.
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Can you afford rent in Wichita on your salary?
At $1,159/mo, how Wichita rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Wichita rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Wichita. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Wichita
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Wichita is $1,159/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $742/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,074/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $820/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,408/mo.
At 22% of local median household income ($64,620/yr), Wichita ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 4.4% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Wichita?
At $1,159/mo, rent takes ~22% of Wichita's median household income ($64,620/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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