Rent Affordability for A Chef in Kansas

A typical chef in Kansas earns about $57,735 a year, which supports approximately $1,443 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. 14 of 28 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 14 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Independence, KS$700/mo14.5%very comfortable
Emporia, KS$718/mo14.9%very comfortable
Great Bend, KS$756/mo15.7%very comfortable
Hutchinson, KS$805/mo16.7%very comfortable
Pittsburg, KS$899/mo18.7%very comfortable
Newton, KS$1,007/mo20.9%affordable
Salina, KS$1,066/mo22.2%affordable
Junction City, KS$1,132/mo23.5%affordable
Wichita, KS$1,159/mo24.1%affordable
Leavenworth, KS$1,182/mo24.6%affordable
Topeka, KS$1,249/mo26%affordable
Manhattan, KS$1,315/mo27.3%affordable
Kansas City, KS$1,322/mo27.5%affordable
Park City, KS$1,340/mo27.9%affordable
Shawnee, KS$1,497/mo31.1%stretched
Derby, KS$1,497/mo31.1%stretched
Lawrence, KS$1,580/mo32.8%stretched
Gardner, KS$1,602/mo33.3%stretched
Bel Aire, KS$1,638/mo34%stretched
Mission, KS$1,690/mo35.1%stretched
Goddard, KS$1,704/mo35.4%stretched
Lenexa, KS$1,730/mo36%stretched
Overland Park, KS$1,754/mo36.5%stretched
Olathe, KS$1,809/mo37.6%stretched
Fairway, KS$2,029/mo42.2%rent-burdened
Leawood, KS$2,076/mo43.1%rent-burdened
Spring Hill, KS$2,102/mo43.7%rent-burdened
Prairie Village, KS$2,195/mo45.6%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).