Oklahoma City vs Wichita
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $190,800 in Wichita and $231,300 in Oklahoma City.
- Households earn more in Oklahoma City ($68,656 vs $64,620 median).
- Oklahoma City has the warmer winter: January highs of 49°F vs 44°F.
- Oklahoma City is growing faster: +5.7% since 2020 vs +0.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Wichita (18 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Oklahoma City, OK | Wichita, KS | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 719,849 | 400,987 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.7% | +0.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,187 | 2,429 |
| Median age | 35.1 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35% | 31% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $68,656 | $64,620 |
| Median home value | $231,300 | $190,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.4× | 3.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,130 | $975 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.4 | 88.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 73.9 | 66.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,800 | $66,700 |
| Homeowners | 59% | 59% |
| Top state income tax | 4.5% | 5.58% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.06% | 8.71% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.2 | 18.4 |
| Work from home | 11% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 15.1% | 15.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 49° / 27° | 44° / 23° |
| July high / low | 93° / 70° | 93° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 34 in |
| Snowfall per year | 7 in | 13 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 74 | 65 |
| Nights below freezing | 72 | 103 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.9 | 96.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 44% | 50% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.4% | +4.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +36.4% | +42.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Oklahoma City: April and September to October. Wichita: April and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Oklahoma City weather by month and Wichita weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,800 in Oklahoma City and $66,700 in Wichita. Moving from Oklahoma City to Wichita, you would need about $73,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Oklahoma City and Wichita
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Oklahoma City and Wichita.
Which would you pick?
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