$758 median rent · $57,264 median income · #2 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Gage County, NebraskaBeatrice is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska. Its population was 12,459 at the 2010 census. It is located 40 miles south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River. It is surrounded by agricultural country.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$819 median rent · $54,734 median income · #4 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Cheyenne County, NebraskaSidney is a city and county seat of Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,757 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$941 median rent · $73,929 median income · #14 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Cass County, NebraskaPlattsmouth is a city and county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,502 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$937 median rent · $81,452 median income · #13 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Washington County, NebraskaBlair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$694 median rent · $65,160 median income · #1 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Box Butte County, NebraskaAlliance is a city in Box Butte County, in the northwestern part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. Its population was 8,491 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Butte County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$792 median rent · $53,702 median income · #3 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Wayne County, NebraskaWayne is a city in Wayne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,660 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County and the home of Wayne State College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$862 median rent · $63,265 median income · #7 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
York County, NebraskaYork is a city in, and the county seat of, York County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,766. It is the home of York College and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,269 median rent · $111,679 median income · #26 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Sarpy County, NebraskaData | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,018 median rent · $72,564 median income · #19 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Seward County, NebraskaSeward is a city and county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,964 at the 2010 census. Seward is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is known for its large Fourth of July celebration.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$823 median rent · $56,917 median income · #5 cheapest rent in Nebraska
Located in
Red Willow County, NebraskaMcCook is a city and county seat of Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,698 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nebraska’s statewide median.
Nebraska statewide median: $76,475
Nebraska statewide median: $276,500
On the map
Where to retire in Nebraska
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Cornhusker State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Nebraska to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Cornhusker State — 573 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 5,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 27 places from across the state.
For these 27, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 27, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Beatrice, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Nebraska.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Nebraska
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beatrice | 4.80 | 12,225 | $57,264 | $182,539 | $758 |
| 2 | Sidney | 7.70 | 6,419 | $54,734 | $168,006 | $819 |
| 3 | Plattsmouth | 8.60 | 6,731 | $73,929 | $306,416 | $941 |
| 4 | Blair | 9.40 | 7,914 | $81,452 | $351,845 | $937 |
| 5 | Alliance | 10.20 | 8,075 | $65,160 | $173,241 | $694 |
| 6 | Wayne | 10.20 | 6,121 | $53,702 | $234,128 | $792 |
| 7 | York | 11.20 | 8,141 | $63,265 | $219,748 | $862 |
| 8 | Papillion | 12.60 | 25,244 | $111,679 | $409,004 | $1,269 |
| 9 | Seward | 12.80 | 7,678 | $72,564 | $307,288 | $1,018 |
| 10 | McCook | 13.40 | 7,314 | $56,917 | $177,179 | $823 |
| 11 | Fremont | 14.00 | 27,567 | $71,152 | $253,066 | $1,080 |
| 12 | Scottsbluff | 14.10 | 14,376 | $56,359 | $179,641 | $966 |
| 13 | Chadron | 14.30 | 5,160 | $54,590 | $193,554 | $881 |
| 14 | Crete | 14.60 | 7,527 | $77,209 | $238,976 | $936 |
| 15 | Columbus | 14.70 | 24,488 | $64,626 | $269,084 | $892 |
| 16 | Hastings | 15.00 | 25,008 | $64,048 | $200,241 | $858 |
| 17 | Ralston | 15.20 | 6,472 | $69,403 | $264,642 | $1,215 |
| 18 | Schuyler | 15.30 | 6,578 | $80,399 | $230,809 | $1,049 |
| 19 | Norfolk | 15.60 | 26,054 | $58,884 | $256,017 | $875 |
| 20 | North Platte | 15.60 | 22,831 | $58,097 | $208,704 | $921 |
| 21 | Bellevue | 15.80 | 64,510 | $85,462 | $297,049 | $1,226 |
| 22 | La Vista | 17.60 | 16,563 | $81,961 | $307,597 | $1,317 |
| 23 | Kearney | 18.00 | 34,246 | $69,724 | $309,678 | $949 |
| 24 | Omaha | 18.20 | 488,837 | $73,201 | $294,189 | $1,187 |
| 25 | Lincoln | 19.20 | 294,856 | $71,867 | $291,062 | $1,086 |
| 26 | Lexington | 19.90 | 10,862 | $67,666 | $205,386 | $966 |
| 27 | Grand Island | 20.00 | 52,884 | $63,795 | $252,575 | $947 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 27 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Nebraska Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Nebraska goes to Beatrice.
The best places to retire in Nebraska are Beatrice, Sidney, Plattsmouth, Blair, Alliance, Wayne, York, Papillion, Seward, and McCook.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
