Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Kansas City

You consider retiring in Kansas City but want to get additional information on senior life, living costs, housing situation, public transport, medical infrastructure, entertainment, safety and many other things before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Kansas City in the following chapters.

Retire in Kansas City – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Kansas City

1. Moderate living costs in Kansas City
2. Rents are still affordable for many retirees in Kansas City
3. Pensioners in Kansas City don’t have to search long to find a decent place to stay
4. Overall financial pressure for people who retire in Kansas City is rather low
5. Kansas City is a rather relaxed place
6. You will be welcome from all over the world
7. Traffic jams are not a big problem in Kansas City yet
8. Pensioners in Kansas City can rely on decent public transport
9. Retirees in Kansas City can experience real seasons
10. Decent bars in Kansas City
11. You can socialize in senior centers
12. Pensioners in Kansas City can spend lots of time in nature
13. Many recreational spaces in Kansas City
14. Many entertainment options in Kansas City
15. Good internet connection helps you stay connected to the world
16. Easy to get to Kansas City
17. Kansas City is one of the most important cities in Missouri
18. Kansas City may still be underrated
19. You don’t have to worry about running out of important goods in Kansas City

Moderate living costs in Kansas City

One advantage of retiring in Kansas City is that living costs are pretty low compared to many other bigger cities in the US and while retirees in San José or other expensive places often have to spend lots of money on drinks and many other nice things of daily life, you can get much more for the same budget as a retiree in Kansas City since most things are less costly.

Rents are still affordable for many retirees in Kansas City

Not only living costs are still affordable for many people who retire in Kansas City, but also rents are also rather low compared to many other big metropolitan regions and you therefore have to spend far less on housing compared to people retiring in San Francisco or other more expensive regions.

Pensioners in Kansas City don’t have to search long to find a decent place to stay

Since housing shortage is not a really big problem in Kansas City yet, many pensioners in Kansas City find a decent and affordable place to stay rather quickly and don’t have to search for many months in this regard as people who retire in NYC or other more popular places often have to do.

Overall financial pressure for people who retire in Kansas City is rather low

Thanks to rather low housing and living costs, also overall financial pressure for people retiring in Kansas City is pretty low and you will therefore not have to worry about money as much as in other more expensive regions and can enjoy your life much more and may also be less likely to suffer from serious mental health problems.

Kansas City is a rather relaxed place

Compared to many other big cities where people are often career-focused and pretty ambitious so they don’t have much time to socialize and to help you out, Kansas City is different in the sense that it is a rather relaxed place where people usually just take the time to support you in case you need assistance on various occasions of daily life.

You will be welcome from all over the world

Since Kansas City is a pretty tolerant place, you will also be welcome no matter where you come from and your background doesn’t matter as long as you are friendly and supportive.

Traffic jams are not a big problem in Kansas City yet

Another upside to retiring in Kansas City is that traffic is not a big problem yet and you can therefore get around by car in a pretty efficient manner without getting stuck in traffic jams where you could lose lots of time in the long run.

Pensioners in Kansas City can rely on decent public transport

Since public transport is pretty decent in Kansas City, you may not even need a car as a retiree and can just rely on buses or other means of public transport in a reliable manner and this can be great for you since the older you get, the more likely you will no longer be able to drive a car in a safe manner and need to rely on proper alternatives.

Retirees in Kansas City can experience real seasons

Since you will have warm summers and pretty cold winters, pensioners in Kansas City can also experience real seasons and this can make your life much more interesting compared to pensioners in El Paso or other places where they just have warm weather all year long and may get fed up and bored with climatic conditions in the long run.

Decent bars in Kansas City

You should also know that there are many decent bars in Kansas City where you can hang out with other like-minded people and can meet up with many people of your age so you can discuss important things that are going on in the world and can also get a different perspective on certain topics.

You can socialize in senior centers

Not only will you have interesting bars to socialize, but you will also find decent senior centers where you can play parlor games or make plans with other retirees so you will always have something to do and will never get bored with your senior life in Kansas City.

Pensioners in Kansas City can spend lots of time in nature

Since there are many nice lakes and forests surrounding Kansas City, you can also spend lots of time in nature and since hiking and many other nature activities are for free, you don’t need a really good pension and can still have a great time in the Kansas City region.

Many recreational spaces in Kansas City

There are also many parks and other green spaces where you can sit down and really enjoy your senior life in Kansas City in quiet environments without getting distracted by loud noises or other unpleasant things.

Many entertainment options in Kansas City

Another benefit of retiring in Kansas City is that you will also have lots of entertainment.

For instance, you can watch sports games, go to the opera, visit a museum and also spend lots of time in nature and chances are that you will always find something to do in this region.

Good internet connection helps you stay connected to the world

Thanks to the good internet connection you will have in the Kansas City region, you can also stay connected to your loved ones since you can make video calls or use social media to inform your family and friends what’s going on in your world and you can also get the latest news in real-time so you will always know what’s going on in the world in general and can also benefit from latest technologies.

Easy to get to Kansas City

Since Kansas City has a big airport, it is also pretty easy for your loved ones to visit you in this place and chances are you will have many guests and will likely not feel lonely for a longer period of time as a retiree in Kansas City.

Kansas City is one of the most important cities in Missouri

Since Kansas City is among the biggest cities in Missouri, it is also a pretty important economic center and will therefore be an important place to live and retire for many years to come and you don’t have to worry about public infrastructure becoming worse anytime soon.

Kansas City may still be underrated

Since you can enjoy many amenities in the Kansas City region while living and housing costs are still rather low, Kansas City may be an underrated place to retire right now and you may therefore be able to greatly benefit from many nice things at an affordable price.

You don’t have to worry about running out of important goods in Kansas City

Since public infrastructure is pretty decent in the Kansas City region, you also don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods and will also find many things you need pretty close to your home.

Now that you know the reasons for retiring in Kansas City, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in Kansas City so you will get a more realistic picture of reality and can better decide whether you still want to retire in Kansas City or rather want to live in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Kansas City

1. Kansas City is not the safest place
2. Many retirees in Kansas City don’t feel comfortable anymore
3. Kansas City has to deal with many social problems
4. Kansas City is not located at the coast
5. Rents in Kansas City are about to increase
6. Kansas City becomes increasingly crowded
7. Cold winters may become annoying for many pensioners in Kansas City
8. Kansas City is not the most bike-friendly city
9. Walkability greatly decreases once you get outside the city center
10. You may end up in a rather dodgy neighborhood
11. Kansas City doesn’t have a great reputation
12. Your family and friends may worry about your well-being
13. Air quality in Kansas City is rather poor

Kansas City is not the safest place

One downside to retiring in Kansas City is that crime rates are pretty high.

In fact, Kansas City is among the cities with the highest crime rates in the entire US and if you are not careful, you may get involved in serious incidents in this regard sooner or later.

Many retirees in Kansas City don’t feel comfortable anymore

Due to high crime rates, many pensioners in Kansas City also no longer feel safe and comfortable in certain parts of the city and also rather want to stay at home during nighttime instead of going out due to safety concerns.

Kansas City has to deal with many social problems

You should also know that Kansas city has to deal with an increasing level of inequality which may contribute to further increasing crime rates and may also lead to many other social issues and may destroy social cohesion in the long run.

Kansas City is not located at the coast

Another disadvantage to retiring in Kansas City is that it is not located at the coast and while people who retire in Seattle and other coastal areas can enjoy the beach on a regular basis, you will just not have the same luxury in Kansas City and your overall quality of life may therefore be much lower.

Rents in Kansas City are about to increase

While rents are still affordable in the Kansas City region right now, things may change significantly over the next decade and many locals who don’t receive a pretty good pension may therefore get evicted and may have to leave this region in the long run.

Kansas City becomes increasingly crowded

Since Kansas City becomes increasingly popular, it may also become too crowded for many pensioners and also public infrastructure for every single individual may become worse and overall quality of life may therefore drop sooner or later.

Cold winters may become annoying for many pensioners in Kansas City

Many pensioners also don’t want to retire in Kansas City since winters are pretty cold and if you belong to the group of people who can’t stand cold weather at all, chances are that you would be better off retiring in Austin or other warmer regions instead.

Kansas City is not the most bike-friendly city

Since Austin is not the most bicycle-friendly city, you may not be able to get around by bike in an efficient manner and may have to rely on other transportation options and this may really decrease your overall fitness level in the long run.

Walkability greatly decreases once you get outside the city center

Since distances are no longer short outside the city center, overall walkability gets pretty poor and you may therefore need to rely on public transport or your car to get around in Kansas City in case you can’t afford to live in the center and may rather have to live in the suburbs.

You may end up in a rather dodgy neighborhood

Another problem with retiring in Kansas City is that there are many dodgy neighborhoods and if you are not careful and rent out a place in one of those dodgy districts, you may just not feel safe and welcome at all and your overall quality of life may be rather low.

Kansas City doesn’t have a great reputation

Due to high crime rates and other social problems, Kansas City also doesn’t have a really good reputation and your loved ones may not understand your decision of retiring in Kansas City and may want to convince you about retiring in a safer and more popular place.

Your family and friends may worry about your well-being

Since Kansas City is not the safest place, your loved ones may also worry about your well-being quite often and you may therefore impose a certain emotional burden on them with your plans to retire in Kansas City.

Air quality in Kansas City is rather poor

You should also know that air quality in Kansas City is not great and in case you already suffer from serious pulmonary problems, chances are you may want to retire in cleaner regions instead so your health conditions will not get worse.

Top 10 Retiring in Kansas City Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Kansas City A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Kansas City can be great for you since housing and living costs are fairly low and you still find everything you need to retire in a convenient manner, you should also know that crime is a big problem in Kansas City and all sorts of social problems may become even worse in the future.

Alternative Cities To Retire

If you don’t want to retire in Kansas City, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Albuquerque

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Sacramento

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Fresno

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/kansascitycitymissouri

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.