This Kansas City suburb is one of the best places to live on $100K salary, study says
A recent report from finance website GOBankingRates revealed the best cities to live in each state on a $100,000 salary, and one of the cities lies within the Kansas City metro.
Shawnee was named the best place to live in Kansas due to its relatively affordable cost of living.
The ranking, published Oct. 31, was based on the total cost of annual necessities, median income and a “livability score,” according to the methodology. The included cities had to have a total necessities cost less than 50% of their median annual income. Sources included the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census and real estate company Area Vibes.
So how did Shawnee earn the ranking?
Shawnee, Kansas
GOBankingRates gave Shawnee a “livability score” of 86 out of 100. Area Vibes developed the livability score, which considers factors such as crime rates, school quality, employment and amenities in the area.
The Johnson County city has a median household income of $100,649, and total necessities cost about $46,270 a year, according to GOBankingRates. Necessities included in the finance website’s data are housing, groceries, utilities, health care and transportation.
While Shawnee made GOBankingRates’ list for being affordable for households making $100,000 per year, residents may need to make more to actually take home $100,000.
Another November 2024 data analysis by the finance website showed that Kansas residents need to make $148,400 to take home $100,000 each year. Federal, state and local taxes take a chunk of people’s paychecks, so residents will need to keep at least 67.4% of the $148,400 salary to take home $100,000.
On the Missouri side, Ballwin was dubbed the best city to live in with a $100,000 salary. The St. Louis suburb also has a livability score of 86 out of 100, and its median household income is $118,647. The annual necessities cost $47,705 in Ballwin.
