Kansas City is the best place to live because of its substantial economy, strong job market, and better quality of life. In comparison, Albuquerque has a rich culture and history, manageable traffic, and cheap taxes but has a higher crime frequency.
Whether you’re a nature lover, history buff, sports fan, or food lover, Albuquerque has the right neighborhood for you. The city is known for preserving its history and culture with festivals and museums that you can enjoy anytime.
Kansas City is the biggest metropolis in Missouri and the Midwest’s sixth-largest city. Kansas City dubbed as the “City of Fountains,” is recognized for its contributions to jazz and blues music, as well as its famous Kansas City-style barbeque.
However, Kansas offers a better economy and quality of life.
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What are the Pros and Cons of Kansas City vs. Albuquerque?
Kansas City entices people with its fun-filled activities, reasonable prices, and a strong economy, but yearly tornadoes are a letdown. Albuquerque is a city rich in history and culture with manageable traffic. However, the city’s unemployment rate and crime counts are disappointing.
Living in Kansas City
Pros
- Strong job market
- Lower prices than ABQ
- Less commuting time
- Delicious Barbeques
- Fun-filled activities
Apart from corn and wheat, Kansas City has diverse industries. Kansas City’s economy and job market are among the greatest in the country. Kansas City’s unemployment rate is lower than the national average, at 3.5%.
While earnings are lower here, living costs are cheaper, balancing things out neatly. Even better, the city is among the top two-hundred towns in the United States for work prospects.
The cost of living in Kansas is highly inexpensive. While the median family household earns roughly $55,000 per year, it is 21% lower than the national average. As a result, practically everyone can live a healthy and happy existence.
Because the state performs a fantastic job of producing food for home use and manufacturing necessary consumer goods, commodities cost less because transportation costs are lower.
Lower demand levels, particularly in the property market, also support this scenario.
Housing in the area is also reasonably priced. Home prices this low are nearly unheard of in most other cities.
Because traffic will be modest, your main concern will be distance. If you reside in rural Kansas and need to commute to work in the next town over, it may take you 30-60 minutes to get there.
Even if you choose to reside in the Kansas City metro region, your commute will take less than 25 minutes on average. Moreover, Kansas City has the seventh shortest commute in the United States.
If you reside in Kansas City’s suburbs, it will take roughly 20 minutes to get to the downtown metro region.
The barbecue in Kansas City is among the greatest in the world. It’s nearly hard to find a terrible restaurant here, although differing viewpoints on the greatest ones.
If you ever settle in this town, you must visit Arthur Bryant’s on Brooklyn Avenue. Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Harry Truman are among those who have been to try the cuisine.
There are several parks and recreational sites to visit in Kansas City. If you prefer sports, you’ll be pleased to learn that there are several gyms and sports venues.
The nightlife is vibrant here, so if you enjoy music, don’t be shy. It’s a jazz town, but most other genres of music are here as well.
Cons
- Tornadoes
- High taxes
One of the significant disadvantages of living in Kansas City is its location. The city is in the heart of “Tornado Alley.” That’s why most houses have a basement or storm shelter.
Since 1996, Kansas City has had at least 60 tornadoes each year. Eleven of them were EF3 or above. Tornadoes hit the city for 12 days in a row in 2019. If a twister hits town, you’ll need to safeguard yourself and your family immediately.
While housing prices in Kansas are reasonable, taxes are high. Kansas is the 14th most expensive state in the US regarding taxes.
Missouri, for example, will deduct 2.7% of your first $15,000 in taxable income. They add another 4.6% on top of that. The charges are the same for married couples.
Living in Albuquerque
Pros
- Parks
- Historical Old Town
- No frequent natural catastrophes
- Manageable traffic jam
- Cheap taxes and fees
Albuquerque ranks first among major US cities in park coverage for wide-open areas and outdoor activities. Over a quarter of the town is made up of parks!
Petroglyph National Monument Park, which stretches 17 kilometers beside Albuquerque, is one of the city’s most beautiful and intriguing parks. The majority of the petroglyphs discovered here date from 1300 to 1600 AD.
Native Americans and Spanish immigrants carved the pictures as the region’s population grew. The petroglyphs that you see in the park have a deep spiritual and cultural significance to the locals.
Old Town has a long and illustrious history in Albuquerque. It’s the actual place where the city started, and it still appears like the original town, despite being centuries old.
The Spanish colonial influences that populated the region reflect the adobe houses covering ten blocks of Old Town, around the Old Town Plaza. The flags of Spain, Mexico, the United States, and the State of New Mexico fly above the Old Town Plaza today.
In addition to its historical value, Old Town is usually bustling with activity. Various opportunities exist to learn about Albuquerque’s past, from seasonal festivities to cultural events. Expect to spend a lot of time in Albuquerque if you move here.
While earthquakes strike California, tornadoes strike the Midwest, and storms and tsunamis threaten coastal towns, Natural disasters never jeopardize Albuquerque’s laid-back routine.
Unlike other cities, traffic in ABQ is quite manageable. Although public transportation in ABQ is limited, you won’t have any trouble getting trapped in traffic. Because there is little traffic in the city, getting to work is typically a pleasure.
Albuquerque has a lower cost of living. Although the cheap cost of living in New Mexico may be due to the state’s poverty problem, reduced taxes and lower fees mean more money remains in your wallet.
Filling up your tank, purchasing groceries, and even receiving higher education in Albuquerque are all far less expensive than in most other cities around the country.
Albuquerque is noted not just for its low cost of living but also for its low taxes. The state income and property tax rates in ABQ are lower than in the nation.
Cons
- Higher crime rate than Kansas City
- Poor job opportunities than Kansas City
Both Kansas City and ABQ are among the cities in the United States with a high crime rate. However, ABQ placed 9th while Kansas City placed 16th.
In addition, Albuquerque has a higher rate of violent crime than the rest of the country. The city is rated sixth for violent crime, according to the federal authorities. Moreover, the number of violent crimes is on the rise.
It doesn’t help that ABQ is experiencing a severe police shortage that is only worsening. Despite the city’s efforts to attract new cops, the number of new cadets continues to decrease. When there aren’t enough cops to catch the evil people, they multiply.
With a 5.5% unemployment rate, Albuquerque is having trouble providing job opportunities to its residents. Compared to Kansas City’s unemployment rate of 3.5%, which is below the national average, ABQ has poorer job opportunities.
Albuquerque or Kansas City – Which is cheaper?
Both Kansas City and Albuquerque’s cost of living is lower than the national average. However, living in Kansas City is 5.4% cheaper than in Albuquerque.
| Living expenses | Albuquerque | Kansas City |
| Housing | 88.0% | 63.3% |
| Food & Groceries | 96.0% | 96.8% |
| Health | 81.1% | 94.5% |
| Utilities | 97.2% | 101.4% |
| Transportation | 89.4% | 88.7% |
Data is 100 = US National Average
> 100 means more expensive than the national average
< 100 means cheaper than the national average
Housing
Housing expenses in Kansas City are 28.1% less pricey than in ABQ. The median house price in Albuquerque is $332,426, while Kansas City’s median house price is $319,587.
Food & Groceries
Food and grocery prices in Kansas City are slightly higher than in Albuquerque. One example is a 1kg Banana in Albuquerque, only $3.87, compared to $1.81 in Kansas City.
Health
Healthcare costs in Kansas City are more costly than in Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, an optometrist visit only costs $101.98, whereas it costs $102.60 in Kansas City.
Utilities
Utility fees are cheaper in Albuquerque. In Kansas City, the energy bill costs $180.74 monthly. Meanwhile, it only costs $142.85 per month in ABQ.
Transportation
Transportation prices are more pricey in Albuquerque. A liter of gasoline in ABQ costs $0.70, whereas it is only $0.64 in Kansas City.
Is Albuquerque bigger than Kansas City?
Kansas City’s area size is 319 mi², whereas Albuquerque’s area size is only 188.9 mi² making Kansas City more than 1.5 times bigger. Additionally, Kansas City is denser and has a better economy than Albuquerque.
Kansas City is more than 1.5 times the size of Albuquerque in terms of land area.
Albuquerque only has 188.9 mi² with an estimated population of only 942,000. In comparison, Kansas City is 319 mi² with a denser population of 1,711,000 as of 2022.
Besides area size and population, Kansas City has a better economy. In contrast, ABQ is facing an unemployment rate of 5.5%.
Kansas City has an unemployment rate of only 3.5%, lower than the USA’s national average.
Therefore, Kansas City is more prominent than Albuquerque.
Is Kansas City safer than Albuquerque?
Albuquerque has a safety scale of only 29.24, while Kansas City has 42.26. Moreover, Kansas City has a lower crime index of 57.74 than ABQ’s 70.76. Therefore, Kansas City is safer than Albuquerque.
Kansas City and ABQ have faced crime rate issues for years. Even though Kansas City is not as dangerous as Albuquerque, the metropolis also suffers from high crime counts.
However, comparing the two, Albuquerque is less safe than Kansas City.
If you are in Kansas City, you have one in 70 chances of being a victim of violent crime. Meanwhile, in ABQ, it is one in 75.
Kansas City’s crime index is 57.74 compared to ABQ’s 70.76. Additionally, ABQ has a safety scale of only 29.34, whereas Kansas City’s safety scale is 42.26.
Thus, Kansas City’s higher safety scale indicates a safer city than Albuquerque.
Is Albuquerque hotter than Kansas City?
The average yearly maximum temperature in Kansas City is 90°F. At the same time, Albuquerque has a higher average annual high temperature of 93°F. As a result, ABQ is hotter than Kansas City.
The Summer seasons in Kansas City are hot, humid, and rainy; winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly overcast all year. The temperature ranges typically from 24°F to 90°F throughout the year, with temperatures seldom falling below 7°F or rising over 99°F.
On the other hand, Albuquerque’s temperatures seldom drop below 18°F or rise above 99°F.
Throughout the year, temperatures in Albuquerque typically range from 27°F to 93°F.
In terms of average sunny days per year, the national average is 205. Both ABQ and Kansas City have more than 205 sunny days. Kansas city experiences 215 sunny days per year, whereas Albuquerque experiences 280 sunny days yearly.
Hence, Albuquerque is hotter than Kansas City.
Is Albuquerque better than Kansas City?
Kansas City has abundant work opportunities, lesser fees, and a lower crime count. Meanwhile, Albuquerque has low tax rates but has slightly higher prices coupled with a higher frequency of crime. Thus, Kansas City is better than Albuquerque.
Living in Kansas City has a lot of advantages, such as a low cost of living, a lot of conveniences, a healthy economy, and a lot of variety. However, hefty taxes, a high crime rate, and inadequate education would deter many individuals from settling in this area.
Albuquerque’s main street is full of entertainment places, and it has a reputation for being a lively college town. Unfortunately, the city’s status as a magnet for Southwestern college students isn’t enough to offset its reputation as a violent place.
However, Kansas City is better than Albuquerque. The city offers a strong job market, lower crime count, and cheaper expenses. Albuquerque has a higher crime rate, unemployment rate, and a hotter climate.
Thus, Kansas City is better than Albuquerque.
Are you considering moving to Kansas City or Albuquerque? Let me know your thoughts and concerns below.