Cost of living in Lincoln research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Lincoln is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Nebraska, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Lincoln is 99, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Lincoln is 1.0x lower than the national average.
Lincoln ranks as the #31 cheapest in Nebraska out of 34.
Lincoln ranks as the #2,497 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Lincoln is $286,251.
The median income in Lincoln is $69,991.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Lincoln has an overall cost of living index of 99, which is 1.0x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Nebraska, Lincoln has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than Nebraska's index of 89.
The standard of living in Lincoln ranks as #31 most affordable out of the 34 places we measured in Nebraska. By definition, that implies Lincoln ranks as the #3 most expensive place in the Cornhusker State.
For more reading on life in Lincoln, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Lincoln. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Lincoln is 102.
The Groceries index in Lincoln is 99.
The Health index in Lincoln is 110.
The Housing index in Lincoln is 95.
The Transportation index in Lincoln is 105.
The Utilities index in Lincoln is 82.
| Living Expense | Lincoln | Nebraska | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 99 | 89 | 100 | |
| Services | 102 | 94 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 99 | 97 | 100 | |
| Health | 110 | 99 | 100 | |
| Housing | 95 | 77 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 105 | 100 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 82 | 86 | 100 | |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Nebraska, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2019-2023. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Lincoln is $286,251.
The Median Rent in Lincoln is $1,045.
The Median Income in Lincoln is $69,991.
The Home Value To Income in Lincoln is 4.1x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Lincoln is 0.18x.