Palm Bay, FL vs Wichita, KS
Simple answer
You'd likely save $736 a month in Wichita.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $736: Palm Bay is higher at $1,779 versus $1,043.
Florida has no tax on wages. Kansas taxes wages at rates up to 5.58%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.7 percentage points, higher in Kansas. The effective property tax gap is 0.50 percentage points, higher in Kansas.
After a move from Florida to Kansas, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Palm Bay lines up with about $66,706 in Wichita on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Palm Bay
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,779
- HUD area
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,681
- All-items price parity
- 100.0
- Goods price parity
- 96.2
- Utilities price parity
- 88.1
- Mean commute
- 26.5 min
- Median household income
- $78,196
Wichita
Wichita, KS
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,043
- HUD area
- Wichita, KS HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,010
- All-items price parity
- 88.9
- Goods price parity
- 94.0
- Utilities price parity
- 88.5
- Mean commute
- 19.3 min
- Median household income
- $71,810
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$66,706
Salary in Wichita that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$69,711
Gross salary in Wichita whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$43,971
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Florida | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | No wage tax | up to 5.58% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.0% | 8.7% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.75% | 1.25% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $3,016 a year in Florida and $4,999 in Kansas. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Kansas
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Florida and once in Kansas. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
WIC
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
School meals
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
LIHEAP
Palm BayMaybe
WichitaMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
Palm BayLikely eligible
WichitaLikely eligible
SSI
Palm BayUnlikely
WichitaUnlikely
| Program | Palm Bay | Wichita |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Palm Bay
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Palm Bay.
- Palm Bay and San Francisco · rent gap $1,918
- Palm Bay and San Jose · rent gap $1,493
- Palm Bay and Boston · rent gap $1,229
- Palm Bay and New York · rent gap $1,192
- Palm Bay and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,185
- Palm Bay and San Diego · rent gap $1,044
- Palm Bay and Miami · rent gap $785
- Palm Bay and Seattle · rent gap $770
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.