Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Nebraska with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Nebraska that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Nebraska at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Gretna.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In Nebraska For 2026
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more Nebraska reading:
- Best Counties To Live In Nebraska
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Nebraska
- Best Places To Retire In Nebraska
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Nebraska For 2026
/10
Population: 9,193
Median Home Price: $425,558
Population Change: 0.8%
Home Price Change: 0.7%
More on Gretna: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,546
Median Home Price: $194,781
Population Change: 0.8%
Home Price Change: 4.6%
More on Holdrege: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,160
Median Home Price: $193,553
Population Change: -0.9%
Home Price Change: -0.1%
More on Chadron: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,121
Median Home Price: $234,128
Population Change: 1.1%
Home Price Change: -0.3%
More on Wayne: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,578
Median Home Price: $230,809
Population Change: 0.9%
Home Price Change: 2.9%
More on Schuyler: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,419
Median Home Price: $168,006
Population Change: 0.4%
Home Price Change: 2.6%
More on Sidney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,731
Median Home Price: $306,415
Population Change: 0.8%
Home Price Change: 1.1%
More on Plattsmouth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,527
Median Home Price: $238,975
Population Change: 0.1%
Home Price Change: -2.6%
More on Crete: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,678
Median Home Price: $307,287
Population Change: 0.2%
Home Price Change: 2.1%
More on Seward: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,369
Median Home Price: $201,347
Population Change: 1.1%
Home Price Change: 3.3%
More on Nebraska City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Nebraska for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 11. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Nebraska. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Nebraska with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Nebraska with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in Nebraska, only 32 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 32 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Gretna is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Cornhusker State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Nebraska for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Nebraska. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Nebraska are Gretna, Holdrege, Chadron, Wayne, Schuyler, Sidney, Plattsmouth, Crete, Seward, and Nebraska City.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more Nebraska reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In Nebraska
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gretna | 9,193 | $425,558 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| 2 | Holdrege | 5,546 | $194,781 | 0.8% | 4.6% |
| 3 | Chadron | 5,160 | $193,553 | -0.9% | -0.1% |
| 4 | Wayne | 6,121 | $234,128 | 1.1% | -0.3% |
| 5 | Schuyler | 6,578 | $230,809 | 0.9% | 2.9% |
| 6 | Sidney | 6,419 | $168,006 | 0.4% | 2.6% |
| 7 | Plattsmouth | 6,731 | $306,415 | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| 8 | Crete | 7,527 | $238,975 | 0.1% | -2.6% |
| 9 | Seward | 7,678 | $307,287 | 0.2% | 2.1% |
| 10 | Nebraska City | 7,369 | $201,347 | 1.1% | 3.3% |
| 11 | Ralston | 6,472 | $264,641 | 0.4% | 3.6% |
| 12 | Mccook | 7,314 | $177,178 | -0.6% | 0.3% |
| 13 | York | 8,141 | $219,747 | 0.3% | -0.6% |
| 14 | Blair | 7,914 | $351,844 | 0.6% | 1.5% |
| 15 | Alliance | 8,075 | $173,240 | -0.2% | -0.9% |
| 16 | Gering | 8,550 | $209,550 | -0.2% | 0.8% |
| 17 | Lexington | 10,862 | $205,386 | 1.6% | 0.5% |
| 18 | Beatrice | 12,225 | $182,538 | -0.1% | -0.9% |
| 19 | South Sioux City | 13,907 | $228,788 | 0.3% | 2.5% |
| 20 | Scottsbluff | 14,376 | $179,640 | -0.2% | -0.9% |
| 21 | La Vista | 16,563 | $307,596 | -0.2% | 0.3% |
| 22 | Columbus | 24,488 | $269,083 | 1.2% | 0.0% |
| 23 | North Platte | 22,831 | $208,704 | -0.9% | 0.9% |
| 24 | Papillion | 25,244 | $409,004 | 4.9% | 1.3% |
| 25 | Norfolk | 26,054 | $256,016 | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| 26 | Hastings | 25,008 | $200,240 | 0.0% | -0.4% |
| 27 | Fremont | 27,567 | $253,065 | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| 28 | Kearney | 34,246 | $309,677 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 29 | Grand Island | 52,884 | $252,574 | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| 30 | Bellevue | 64,510 | $297,049 | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| 31 | Lincoln | 294,856 | $291,062 | 1.0% | 1.7% |
| 32 | Omaha | 488,837 | $294,188 | 0.1% | 2.5% |