This article was originally published by the Wichita Business Journal newspaper on July 5, 2018

Live alone? Study says Wichita's the place to be

By Bryan Horwath



If you live alone, Wichita is one of the most affordable cities in the country.

That's according to a report from web-based financial advice SmartAsset that ranked the top-10 cities in the U.S. for affordable one-person living.

Wichita was No. 10 on the list, with SmartAsset noting that the "average person living in a one-bedroom apartment or a studio in Kansas pays just over $550 per month."

While $550 per month might not fetch much — if anything — in the way of a downtown Wichita apartment, other areas of the city are considerably more affordable. To live alone "comfortably" in Wichita, SmartAsset figures an individual would need to earn about $1,650 per month.

"In terms of apartments, Wichita is a very affordable place to live alone," says Wichita developer Jason Van Sickle. "The national average rent rate for a one-bedroom is $950. In Wichita, the average rent for a one-bedroom is $650. That makes Wichita very affordable for a single renter, when compared to national statistics."

Cincinnati was listed as the most affordable city by SmartAsset, representing just one of many Midwest cities that littered the top-20. The Nebraska cities of Lincoln and Omaha both made the top-five while St. Louis and Tulsa cracked the top-15.

Surprisingly, San Francisco, a city known for its high rents, came in at No. 19 on SmartAsset's list.