Lawrence composite
58.4 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Lawrence vs Manhattan
Lawrence, KS and Manhattan, KS side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 58.4
- Lawrence Life Score
- B+
- Lawrence grade
- 55.2
- Manhattan Life Score
- B+
- Manhattan grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Lawrence scores higher on 3 (wages, safety, childcare) and Manhattan on 4 (cost of living, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Lawrence Manhattan ◗
cost of living
73
74
wages
61
28
rent
67
88
safety
17
17
schools
23
23
childcare
100
100
environment
67
68
Lawrence and Manhattan differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Lawrence has a cost-of-living index of 90.2 vs Manhattan's 90.2 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $66,141 in Lawrence and $60,825 in Manhattan. A 2-bedroom averages $1,182/mo vs $1,048/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Lawrence vs Manhattan Comparison
Lawrence (KS) and Manhattan (KS) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 90.2 for Lawrence against 90.2 for Manhattan, a 0.1-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,182/mo in Lawrence and $1,048/mo in Manhattan, a $134/mo difference that compounds to $1,608 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $66,141 across 44,630 jobs in Lawrence against $60,825 across 45,880 jobs in Manhattan. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Lawrence carries the same local purchasing power as $99,910 in Manhattan - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 456.2 per 100,000 residents in KS vs 456.2 in KS, with property-crime rates of 2090.0 and 2090.0 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: KS lists 1,354 public schools at a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio, while KS lists 1,354 schools at 13.8:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $5,783/yr in the Lawrence area versus $5,783/yr in Manhattan - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Lawrence and Manhattan are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Manhattan composite
55.2 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
0.1 pts
Lawrence vs Manhattan BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$134 /mo
Lawrence priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Lawrence
Lawrence composite (Grade B+)
Manhattan
Manhattan composite (Grade B+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Lawrence | Manhattan |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 90.2 | 90.2 |
| Goods | 94.0 | 94.0 |
| Services | 89.3 | 88.4 |
| Rents | 71.6 | 72.0 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Manhattan gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Lawrence?
$
Equivalent in Manhattan:
$99,910
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Lawrence: 90.2, Manhattan: 90.2, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Lawrence | Manhattan |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $895/mo | $843/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,006/mo | $848/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,182/mo | $1,048/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,644/mo | $1,458/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,983/mo | $1,758/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Lawrence | Manhattan |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $66,141 | $60,825 |
| Total Employment | 44,630 | 45,880 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Lawrence (KS) | Manhattan (KS) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 456.2 | 456.2 |
| Property Crime | 2090.0 | 2090.0 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | KS | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,354 | 1,354 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 13.8:1 | 13.8:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.7% | 0.7% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | KS | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $5,783/yr | $5,783/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $5,711/yr | $5,711/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $5,533/yr | $5,533/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | KS | KS |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 403 | 403 |
| Water Systems | 855 | 855 |
| Superfund Sites | 20 | 20 |
| Water Violations | 3,819 | 3,819 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Lawrence | Manhattan |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 37.0 | 39.0 |
| Good Air Days | 92.9% | 75.6% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 1 days | N/A |
Manhattan air quality shown at state level. Lawrence has metro-level data.
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | KS | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 1/100 | 1/100 |
| Total Violations | 84,344 | 84,344 |
| Health-Based Violations | 33,424 | 33,424 |
| Systems with Violations | 99.1% | 99.1% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | KS | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 69/100 | 69/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 30.8% | 30.8% |
| HPSA Designations | 395 | 395 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | KS | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 29.9 | 29.9 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 34.2 | 34.2 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lawrence more expensive than Manhattan? ▼
Lawrence has a cost of living index of 90.2 compared to Manhattan's 90.2 (national average = 100). Lawrence is 0.1 points above Manhattan on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Lawrence and Manhattan? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,182/mo in Lawrence vs $1,048/mo in Manhattan, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $895/mo to $843/mo.
How do salaries compare between Lawrence and Manhattan? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $66,141 in Lawrence and $60,825 in Manhattan, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Lawrence has the same purchasing power as $99,910 in Manhattan.
Is Lawrence or Manhattan safer? ▼
At the state level, KS has a violent crime rate of 456.2 per 100,000 residents compared to KS's 456.2 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 2090.0 vs 2090.0 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Lawrence and Manhattan? ▼
KS has 1,354 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.8:1, while KS has 1,354 schools at 13.8:1. Charter schools make up 0.7% of KS schools vs 0.7% in KS. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare