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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nebraska is a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Lincoln leads at an index of 76 with rent at just $1,293/month — 32% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
#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
Nebraska is a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Lincoln leads at an index of 76 with rent at just $1,293/month — 32% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Here's Lincoln by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 76. Rent: $1,293/month. Income: $69,991/year. Home price: $285,359. Population: 294,757. The strongest category is Housing at 76; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,224 per year vs. the national median. That's a red flag worth investigating further. Can we talk about how broken the conversation around affordability is? A city gets labeled 'cheap' and suddenly everyone assumes there's a catch — bad schools, no jobs, nothing to do. But look at the income numbers here. Look at the cost categories. This isn't a budget consolation prize. It's a genuine alternative to the coastal rat race, and the data makes that case more convincingly than any think piece.
One more layer before the full breakdown: Nebraska — flyover affordability hiding in plain sight. The 2 cities we track here average a cost index of 79 and median income of $71,350. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,348/month, which is $547 less than the national median.
Bottom line: Lincoln leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
294,757 residents · Nebraska
Dive into Lincoln's numbers: cost index 76 — for better or worse — (35 points below national average), rent $1,293/month, income $69,991, and a home price of $285,359. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 76, while Healthcare runs 95. With 294,757 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
483,335 residents · Nebraska
What does daily life actually cost in Omaha? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. And depending on your situation, on the category level, Housing (index 82) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 96) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $72,708 and homes at $288,850 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
Rent is the single largest expense for most households. We rank all tracked cities in Nebraska by median 1-bedroom rent (Zillow ZORI) from lowest to highest, filtering out any cities with incomplete data. 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.