Rent Affordability for A Bus Driver in Kansas

A typical bus driver in Kansas earns about $46,638 a year, which supports approximately $1,166 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Kansas city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 8 of 28 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 20 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Independence, KS$700/mo18%very comfortable
Great Bend, KS$812/mo20.9%affordable
Hutchinson, KS$848/mo21.8%affordable
Emporia, KS$860/mo22.1%affordable
Pittsburg, KS$931/mo24%affordable
Salina, KS$1,026/mo26.4%affordable
Newton, KS$1,051/mo27%affordable
Wichita, KS$1,146/mo29.5%affordable
Junction City, KS$1,261/mo32.4%stretched
Leavenworth, KS$1,269/mo32.7%stretched
Topeka, KS$1,283/mo33%stretched
Lawrence, KS$1,288/mo33.1%stretched
Manhattan, KS$1,293/mo33.3%stretched
Kansas City, KS$1,319/mo33.9%stretched
Park City, KS$1,340/mo34.5%stretched
Gardner, KS$1,569/mo40.4%rent-burdened
Derby, KS$1,582/mo40.7%rent-burdened
Goddard, KS$1,669/mo42.9%rent-burdened
Bel Aire, KS$1,679/mo43.2%rent-burdened
Lenexa, KS$1,685/mo43.4%rent-burdened
Mission, KS$1,709/mo44%rent-burdened
Shawnee, KS$1,796/mo46.2%rent-burdened
Overland Park, KS$1,800/mo46.3%rent-burdened
Olathe, KS$1,900/mo48.9%rent-burdened
Spring Hill, KS$2,002/mo51.5%severely rent-burdened
Leawood, KS$2,024/mo52.1%severely rent-burdened
Fairway, KS$2,075/mo53.4%severely rent-burdened
Prairie Village, KS$2,283/mo58.7%severely rent-burdened
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for Kansas. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).