What it's like to live in Garden City
Garden City is a small city in Kansas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Garden City deals with crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, cold winters, and hot summers.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold winters
- Hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Garden City compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Garden City
Based on Garden City's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,104
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,080 a year
- 30% of Garden City renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$38,400
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $19,200
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 26% below US
$1,052/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,052 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $192,000. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $192,000 · 30% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 33% below US
2.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 2.9%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 48% above US
486 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1726/100k · Garden City Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 46% below US
14 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 14 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. Nearly all workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 18°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 51% below US
18% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
16 public schools inside the boundary
There are 16 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Santa Fe National Historic Trail (54 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Garden City's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are crime rates above the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,052/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Garden City
All Kansas guides →Moving to Dodge City →
48 mi away · pop. 27,613
Rent $1,045/mo · Income $68,721
Compare with Garden City →Moving to Great Bend →
115 mi away · pop. 14,479
Rent $759/mo · Income $54,139
Compare with Garden City →Not sure Garden City is the one?
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