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CityLedger

Davenport vs Topeka

Metro-area medians — Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metro Area vs Topeka, KS Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Davenport comes out ahead, winning 3 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Davenport and Topeka cost about the same to live in, but Topeka households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Topeka.

Their widest everyday difference: Davenport has the tighter job market — 3% unemployment versus 3.6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Davenport, IA
$58,464
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$65,631
real value after local prices
Topeka, KS
$57,417
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$64,644
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Davenport leaves you about $987/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Davenport
Topeka
Livability (CityLedger)
56/100
56/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
89.1
88.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$80,205
$83,753
Median household income
$71,446
$74,389
Median rent
$971/mo
$990/mo
Median home value
$182,100
$211,800
Unemployment
3%
3.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
31.4%
28.2%
Average commute
21.2 min
21.3 min
Air quality (median AQI)
46
45
Avg temperature
51°F
56°F

Choose Davenport for

  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Davenport profile →

Choose Topeka for

  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
Full Topeka profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Davenport and Topeka on cost, income, size, and education.

Davenport vs Duluth→Davenport vs Cedar Rapids→Davenport vs Peoria→Topeka vs Cedar Rapids→Topeka vs Duluth→Topeka vs Jefferson City→

Davenport vs Topeka — frequently asked

Is Davenport cheaper than Topeka?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Davenport and Topeka metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Davenport or Topeka?
Topeka has the higher median household income — $74,389 versus $71,446 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Davenport or Topeka?
A paycheck stretches further in Topeka. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $83,753 there versus $80,205 in Davenport.
Which has cheaper rent, Davenport or Topeka?
Rents are close — $971/mo in the Davenport metro versus $990/mo in Topeka (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).