Cost of living in El Dorado, KS — Housing, Rent & Index

All states·Kansas·El Dorado·Cost of living

Housing, rent, and a comparison to the US average.

$173,179
Median home value
$912/mo
Median rent
49
Cost index (US=100)
+5.7%
Home YoY change

The median home value in El Dorado, KS is $173,179 as of 2026-04. That places El Dorado below the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 49 versus a national baseline of 100.

Over the past 12 months, the median home value in El Dorado has climbed 5.7%, and over the past five years it has averaged +6.5% annual growth. The current price sits +0.0% from its 5-year peak in 2026-04.

Renters pay a median of $912 per month in El Dorado. Rents have changed -1.8% over the last year and averaged — per year over five years.

Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in El Dorado are shaped by state and local taxes, utility rates, transportation, and groceries. This page focuses on the housing component, which is the largest single line in most household budgets and the easiest to compare across cities using consistent national data.

Housing

Median home value$173,179
1-year change+5.7%
5-year price growth+6.5%
10-year price growth+6.2%
vs 5-year peak+0.0%

Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).

How El Dorado compares

Cost index49 (below US)
Median home vs US (~$355k)-51.2%
Population12,694
Momentum score67 (Rising)

Cost index is currently a housing-only proxy; full BLS basket coming with ACS pull.

Affordability reality

Prices only mean something against local pay. Here’s how El Dorado’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.

Median rent vs income18% of local median income
Home price-to-income2.9× local median income

At $912/mo, rent eats about 18% of the local median household income of $59,180 — within the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.

The median home runs about 2.9× the local median income (historically affordable).

Daily life in El Dorado

Climate

89°/66° summer41°/21° winter230 sunny days15″ snow/yr30″ rain/yr

Summers run warm (highs near 89°F) and winters are chilly (highs near 41°F), with about 15″ of snow a year.

Natural-hazard & insurance risk

Flood: moderateTornado: very highHurricane: very lowWildfire: lowEarthquake: very low

Insurance heads-up: in El Dorado, flood damage isn’t covered by standard home insurance — budget for a separate NFIP/private flood policy and check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.

Getting around

The average commute is 19 min — shorter than the US average of ~27 min; 5% of workers are remote; 60% own their home.

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.