Living in Johnson County Hannah Murrell October 27, 2026
This one might make some people mad. Leawood and Prairie Village, two of the most sought-after addresses in Johnson County, are overrated. And two suburbs everyone sleeps on, Olathe and Lenexa, are some of the smartest buys in the metro right now.
I'm Hannah Murrell, a Johnson County real estate agent. Here's what you're paying for in each city and what you actually get.
Not vibes. Price per square foot (what you pay for the space you get), the age of the housing, how close you are to downtown Kansas City, and how the schools stack up.
City | Price per sq ft* | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|
Prairie Village | $298 | Smallest, oldest homes; closest in |
Leawood | $231 | Big premium outside top pockets |
Olathe | $208 | Most house; farthest from downtown |
Lenexa | $197 | Central, strong schools, mid-range prices |
*From my Heartland MLS pull at the time of filming.
Prairie Village has the highest price per square foot in this lineup at $298, even though its average sale price trails Leawood's. Homes are smaller and older: most were built from the 1940s to the 1960s, so a lot of what's for sale is a Cape Cod or ranch on a modest lot. You're buying the address, the walkability to the Shops, the tree canopy, and the schools, not square footage.
Larger homes carry a real premium. This year, four-plus bedroom homes in Prairie Village averaged about $1.08 million, higher than in Leawood, and the average list price has climbed about 14% since 2024. That's driving one of the most active teardown markets in the county, which led the city to adopt design guidelines in 2016 and expand them in 2018 and 2019.
To be fair, you do get real value: one of the shortest commutes to downtown Kansas City and the Plaza, plus Shawnee Mission East and South, both among the top public high schools in Kansas.
Leawood splits into two markets. Older North Leawood sees the same teardown pressure as Prairie Village. South Leawood is newer luxury construction with HOA-heavy neighborhoods. Hallbrook isn't part of this argument; it's genuinely old money meets new money.
The overrated case is the rest of Leawood, where buyers pay $231 a square foot, well above Olathe and Lenexa, without always getting more house. The average single-family list price has crossed $1 million this year, up from about $959,000 two years ago.
The schools are not the overrated part. Blue Valley North and Blue Valley High rank at the very top of Kansas public high schools, and parts of Leawood feed Shawnee Mission East and South.
Value. You get significantly more house, newer construction, and bigger lots for the same money, or less, than in Overland Park, Prairie Village, or Leawood. At $208 a square foot, Olathe is one of the most competitive in this lineup, and it has sold more homes this year than Leawood, Prairie Village, and Lenexa combined.
Olathe USD 233 is solid and consistent, with Olathe North and Olathe Northwest ranking among the top public high schools in Kansas. Garmin, Black & Veatch, and Honeywell anchor the job base, and the Chiefs' planned headquarters and training facility near College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road adds long-term momentum. Retail and dining along 119th and 151st Street have matured a lot.
The trade-off: Olathe is the farthest of these four from downtown Kansas City.
Lenexa's pull is location, schools, and lifestyle. At $197 a square foot, it has the lowest price per square foot of the four, though overall prices land higher than Olathe once you factor in size and finishes.
In all four cities, your mailing address doesn't tell you your school district. Parts of Olathe are in Blue Valley, parts of Lenexa are in De Soto and Olathe, and Leawood splits between Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley. Always verify the zoned schools for the exact address.
Olathe, if price per square foot is your top priority. Lenexa, if commute, schools, and lifestyle matter more.
It can be, if location, walkability, and Shawnee Mission East matter more to you than square footage.
Prairie Village, at about $298 a square foot in my MLS pull at filming.
Want the real numbers for your price point? My free guide compares every Johnson County city side by side. Call 913-744-4720 or email [email protected] and I'll send it to you.
Hannah Murrell | Murrell Signature Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Kansas City Metro | The Red Bow Standard
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