Rent Affordability for A Waiter or Waitress in Kansas

A typical waiter or waitress in Kansas earns about $32,877 a year, which supports approximately $822 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. 2 of 28 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 26 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Independence, KS$700/mo25.5%affordable
Great Bend, KS$812/mo29.6%affordable
Hutchinson, KS$848/mo31%stretched
Emporia, KS$860/mo31.4%stretched
Pittsburg, KS$931/mo34%stretched
Salina, KS$1,026/mo37.4%stretched
Newton, KS$1,051/mo38.4%stretched
Wichita, KS$1,146/mo41.8%rent-burdened
Junction City, KS$1,261/mo46%rent-burdened
Leavenworth, KS$1,269/mo46.3%rent-burdened
Topeka, KS$1,283/mo46.8%rent-burdened
Lawrence, KS$1,288/mo47%rent-burdened
Manhattan, KS$1,293/mo47.2%rent-burdened
Kansas City, KS$1,319/mo48.1%rent-burdened
Park City, KS$1,340/mo48.9%rent-burdened
Gardner, KS$1,569/mo57.3%severely rent-burdened
Derby, KS$1,582/mo57.7%severely rent-burdened
Goddard, KS$1,669/mo60.9%severely rent-burdened
Bel Aire, KS$1,679/mo61.3%severely rent-burdened
Lenexa, KS$1,685/mo61.5%severely rent-burdened
Mission, KS$1,709/mo62.4%severely rent-burdened
Shawnee, KS$1,796/mo65.6%severely rent-burdened
Overland Park, KS$1,800/mo65.7%severely rent-burdened
Olathe, KS$1,900/mo69.3%severely rent-burdened
Spring Hill, KS$2,002/mo73.1%severely rent-burdened
Leawood, KS$2,024/mo73.9%severely rent-burdened
Fairway, KS$2,075/mo75.7%severely rent-burdened
Prairie Village, KS$2,283/mo83.3%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).