Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Grand Island's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Grand Island?
Your $100,000 in Grand Island has the same purchasing power as $126,759 in the average US city. You'd need $26,759 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Grand Island's cost index of 79, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Grand Island, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously your money goes a lot further here and jobs are easy to find right now, plus 5 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Grand Island's composite cost-of-living index is 79 — roughly 21% under the US baseline. Housing is doing most of the heavy lifting; groceries, utilities, and services are also cheaper than the national norm, just by smaller margins. Median rent in town runs about $886/mo against a typical household income of $59,061, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Unemployment in Grand Island is running about 3.1% — below the typical US baseline of around 4%. That usually translates to a job market where employers compete for workers more than the other way around, which is the better side of that equation to be on if you're the one moving.
Grand Island reports about 2,998 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Grand Island earns a Walk Score of 72/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
Grand Island's Bike Score is 65/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
Grand Island's air quality index averages about 32 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Grand Island is about 18 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Grand Island's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is just part of the winter in Grand Island. Average temperatures around 17°F mean the ground stays covered from December well into March, and a snowblower is less optional than aspirational.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Grand Island averages roughly 17°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Grand Island runs about 87°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 7. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 7 or colder should survive a typical winter in Grand Island. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Grand Island sits at about 1,870 feet (570 m) — meaningfully higher than coastal cities, but not high enough to noticeably affect breathing or cooking.
Average for an American city. Grand Island's reported crime rate of about 2,998 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Grand Island's composite cost-of-living index is 79, roughly 21% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Yes — Grand Island is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 72/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $55,223 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Grand Island runs about $886/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.