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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Look, the numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Nebraska beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Lincoln stands out at 76 on the index, with rent of $1,293/month — for better or worse — and household income of $69,991. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#1 Ranked: Lincoln — cost index 76, rent $1,293/mo, income $69,991
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Look, the numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Nebraska beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Lincoln stands out at 76 on the index, with rent of $1,293/month — for better or worse — and household income of $69,991. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The #1 spot goes to Lincoln, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,293/month — saving renters $7,224 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 76, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. At a 22% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Here's the honest assessment: Lincoln is the data-driven pick, but #2 through #5 are close enough that personal factors — commute, climate, schools, family proximity — should weigh in. The city profiles below include profession-specific salary lookups and 12-month trend lines. Use them to pressure-test the ranking against your real life.
294,757 residents · Nebraska
A closer look at Lincoln: the cost index of 76 breaks down to a Housing index of 76 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,293/month — 32% below the national median — while household income sits at $69,991, meaning locals spend about 22% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
483,335 residents · Nebraska
Dive into Omaha's numbers: cost index 82 (29 points below national average), rent $1,403/month, income $72,708, and a home price of $288,850. And broadly, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 82, while Healthcare runs 96. With 483,335 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Cities are ranked by median 1-bedroom rent in ascending order using Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI). We include all tracked cities in Nebraska with verified rent data, giving you a complete picture of the rental landscape from cheapest to most expensive. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Lincoln ranks #1 in Nebraska for this analysis with a cost index of 76 and median income of $69,991.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Lincoln (ranked #1) has a cost index of 76 and rent of $1,293/mo, while Omaha (ranked #2) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,403/mo — a 6-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Lincoln is $1,293/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $602 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Lincoln is $285,359, which is 4.1× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Nebraska has a 5.84% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.94%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.54%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.