Kansas or Missouri is a choice every Kansas City home search comes to, because the metro area takes in counties from both states. Each state has its own income tax, sales tax and way of assessing a home, plus its own deadlines for registering a car and getting a driver's license. Each side's 2026 figures are below, in the same order.
Key takeaways
- Kansas taxes 2026 income at 5.2% and 5.58%. Missouri's graduated rates top out at 4.7%.
- Before local taxes, state sales tax is 6.5% in Kansas and 4.225% in Missouri as of October 2026.
- A home is taxed on 11.5% of appraised value in Kansas and on 19% of market value in Missouri.
- Kansas City, Missouri taxes earnings at 1%. People who live in Kansas owe it on work done inside the city.
- A car has to be registered within 90 days in Kansas and titled within 30 days in Missouri.
On the Kansas side
Income tax
Kansas uses two rates for 2026. On the Department of Revenue's 2026 schedule, 5.2% applies to the first $23,000 of taxable income and 5.58% to anything above it. The threshold is $46,000 on a joint return. Kansas law calls for a review of state revenue every August 15, with a rate cut in any year that passes the revenue tests.
Sales tax
The state charges 6.5% as of October 2026 and does not tax qualifying food. Local taxes are added to that. In Overland Park the total is 9.35% from October 1, 2026.
How a home is assessed
The taxable base for a Kansas home is 11.5% of the appraised value (2026). Johnson County's Appraiser sets a value for each property every January 1, and the notice of value goes out by March 1.
Cars and driver's licenses
Once you establish a Kansas residence, you have 90 days to register a vehicle (2026). If its title is from another state, the Kansas Highway Patrol inspects the VIN before that. There is no emissions test in Johnson County. Vehicle property tax is billed yearly with the registration, and the state has a look-up that estimates it.
A driver's license has the same 90-day deadline.
On the Missouri side
Income tax
Missouri's rates are graduated. For 2026 the state's withholding formula reaches its top rate, 4.7%, once taxable income passes $9,436. Missouri voters decide Amendment 5 in November 2026. It would have the legislature phase the state income tax out as revenue grows.
Sales tax
Missouri charges 4.225% as of October 2026, also before local taxes. Kansas City addresses in Jackson County pay a combined 8.975% from October through December 2026. In both states some shopping districts add a tax of their own.
How a home is assessed
Missouri uses 19% of market value (October 2026), and real estate there is reassessed in odd-numbered years. To see the two rules together, take a home valued at $350,000. Its assessed value comes to $40,250 under the Kansas rule and $66,500 under Missouri's. That alone does not tell you which bill is larger. Each taxing unit, from the city and county to the school district, then applies a levy of its own.
Cars and driver's licenses
A vehicle has to be titled in Missouri within 30 days of becoming a resident. The state asks for two things. One is a VIN and odometer inspection, which a Missouri safety inspection covers. The other is proof of personal property tax, and a newcomer gets a non-assessment statement from the county assessor for that.
Counties tax any car you own on January 1 as personal property, on an assessment of 33 1/3% of its value. Jackson County sets December 31 as the due date. The Missouri Driver Guide tells people who move to the state and plan to drive to get a Missouri license, valid out-of-state license or not. The only deadline it states is for commercial drivers, who have 30 days.
The Kansas City, Missouri earnings tax
Kansas City, Missouri taxes earned income at 1% (2026), and the tax crosses the state line. Residents of the city pay it on all of their earned income, wherever the job is. A nonresident, including someone living in Kansas, pays it on earnings from work performed in the city. City voters last renewed it on April 7, 2026. Under state law it returns to the ballot every five years.
Parts of the city lie in four counties: Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass. Find out which side of the city limits a home is on before the tax goes into your budget.
How to compare a Kansas and a Missouri address
Ask these about each home on your list:
- Where is the work done? Pay earned inside Kansas City, Missouri is taxed by the city from either side.
- Would you live in one state and be paid in the other? A tax preparer can tell you if you need to file in both.
- What is the property tax bill on this home? Ask Jennifer for the county's tax record on it.
- Is the lot in a mapped flood zone? Flood zones run along creeks and rivers in both states, so look each address up in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.
These figures are general information, not tax or legal advice. IRS Publication 530 has federal tax information for homeowners.
Common questions
Do I owe the earnings tax if I live in Kansas?
On the pay you earn inside Kansas City, Missouri, yes, at 1% (2026). People who live in the city owe it on all earned income, whichever side of the line the job is on.
Which side has the lower property tax?
Neither assessment percentage answers that, because local levies are then applied to both. Put the two tax bills next to each other. Jennifer's area guides list the 2025 levies for six Johnson County cities.
Do I need a new driving test for a Kansas license?
Not while your current license is valid, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue (2026). You exchange it for a Kansas license within 90 days of establishing residency.
Jennifer Fallon holds a real estate license in each state. Her relocation guide goes on to utilities, school district look-ups, flood zones, transit and weather. You can search homes for sale, try a payment in the mortgage calculator, or contact Jennifer with the addresses on your list.
