You won’t have to be a Walmart greeter for long if you choose one of Kansas’ best places to retire.
You’ll be able to play pinochle and gin rummy all day with your retirement buddies if you choose one of the top ten places to retire in Kansas for 2026. Before we tell you Kansas’ best place to retire, we need to tell you how we calculated this list of Kansas stunners.
We looked at the latest FBI and Census reports on crime, demographics, and affordable housing for 27 cities with over 10,000 residents.
We learned that the entire state’s living costs come in close to 14% below the national average. Some of Kansas’ biggest cities like Witchita and Topeka, retirees are currently enjoying particularly affordable housing costs.
Where can you live out your best years in The Free State? Keep reading.
$737 median rent · $54,474 median income · #1 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Atchison County, Kansas
Atchison is a city and county seat of Atchison County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,021. The city is named in honor of David Rice Atchison, United States senator from Missouri, and was the original eastern terminus of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Atchison was the birthplace of aviator Amelia Earhart, and the Amelia Earhart Festival is held annually in July. Atchison is also home of Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal-arts college.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,406 median rent · $102,786 median income · #23 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Leavenworth County, Kansas
Lansing is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Leavenworth County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,265. It is the second most populous city of Leavenworth County and is a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,032 median rent · $71,699 median income · #15 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Franklin County, Kansas
Ottawa is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is located on both banks of the Marais des Cygnes River near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,649.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$844 median rent · $59,180 median income · #5 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Butler County, Kansas
El Dorado EL-d-RAY-doh) is city and county seat of Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in the central part of Butler County and located in south-central Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,021.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$759 median rent · $54,139 median income · #2 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Barton County, Kansas
Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. It is named for its location at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east then southeast. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 15,995.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$786 median rent · $56,656 median income · #3 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Cowley County, Kansas
Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301 and second most populous city of Cowley County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$903 median rent · $68,885 median income · #9 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Harvey County, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located 25 miles north of Wichita. The city of North Newton is located immediately north, existing as a separate political entity.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$881 median rent · $58,687 median income · #7 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Reno County, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city and county seat in Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of “Salt City”, but locals call it “Hutch”. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,080.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$815 median rent · $52,704 median income · #4 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Lyon County, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike. Emporia is also a college town, home to Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,314 median rent · $114,009 median income · #21 cheapest rent in Kansas
Located in
Johnson County, Kansas
Olathe is a city in, and is the county seat of, Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is the fourth most populous city in Kansas, with a population of 125,872 persons as of 2010. Olathe is also the fourth-largest city in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is bordered by the cities of Lenexa to the north, Overland Park to the east, De Soto to the northwest, and Gardner to the southwest.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Kansas’s statewide median.
Kansas statewide median: $74,275
Kansas statewide median: $244,761
On the map
Where to retire in Kansas
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Sunflower State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Kansas to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Sunflower State — 664 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 27 places from across the state.
For these 27, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 27, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Atchison, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Kansas.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Kansas
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atchison | 8.70 | 10,785 | $54,474 | $166,546 | $737 |
| 2 | Lansing | 8.80 | 11,246 | $102,786 | $321,293 | $1,406 |
| 3 | Ottawa | 10.00 | 12,678 | $71,699 | $235,346 | $1,032 |
| 4 | El Dorado | 11.10 | 12,769 | $59,180 | $169,661 | $844 |
| 5 | Great Bend | 11.60 | 14,479 | $54,139 | $124,919 | $759 |
| 6 | Winfield | 11.80 | 11,711 | $56,656 | $137,701 | $786 |
| 7 | Newton | 12.60 | 18,397 | $68,885 | $171,182 | $903 |
| 8 | Hutchinson | 12.90 | 39,709 | $58,687 | $146,981 | $881 |
| 9 | Emporia | 13.10 | 24,131 | $52,704 | $169,150 | $815 |
| 10 | Olathe | 13.20 | 145,057 | $114,009 | $433,117 | $1,314 |
| 11 | Liberal | 13.20 | 19,316 | $63,706 | $145,107 | $900 |
| 12 | Leawood | 13.60 | 33,809 | $185,625 | $777,578 | $1,983 |
| 13 | Leavenworth | 13.70 | 37,195 | $72,987 | $260,124 | $1,229 |
| 14 | Shawnee | 14.30 | 68,542 | $109,940 | $424,763 | $1,322 |
| 15 | Overland Park | 15.00 | 200,306 | $104,834 | $482,295 | $1,515 |
| 16 | Topeka | 15.00 | 125,786 | $56,956 | $190,096 | $979 |
| 17 | Lenexa | 15.30 | 58,384 | $103,239 | $477,848 | $1,454 |
| 18 | Salina | 15.50 | 46,307 | $61,783 | $173,120 | $959 |
| 19 | Hays | 15.70 | 21,143 | $58,459 | $252,838 | $922 |
| 20 | Gardner | 15.80 | 24,526 | $96,818 | $352,182 | $1,306 |
| 21 | Merriam | 15.80 | 11,085 | $73,600 | $326,709 | $1,181 |
| 22 | McPherson | 15.90 | 13,995 | $77,529 | $217,268 | $925 |
| 23 | Pittsburg | 16.20 | 20,637 | $43,419 | $133,322 | $854 |
| 24 | Andover | 16.30 | 15,965 | $104,787 | $325,994 | $1,450 |
| 25 | Haysville | 17.10 | 11,117 | $67,740 | $207,754 | $1,064 |
| 26 | Lawrence | 17.40 | 96,051 | $65,009 | $331,113 | $1,091 |
| 27 | Wichita | 18.40 | 397,945 | $64,620 | $202,720 | $975 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 27 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Kansas Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Kansas goes to Atchison.
The best places to retire in Kansas are Atchison, Lansing, Ottawa, El Dorado, Great Bend, Winfield, Newton, Hutchinson, Emporia, and Olathe.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
