Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Lincoln's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Lincoln?
Your $100,000 in Lincoln has the same purchasing power as $83,696 in the average US city. You'd need $16,304 more 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 Lincoln's cost index of 119, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Lincoln? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: solidly above-average earnings and crime statistics come out reassuring, plus 1 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Median household income in Lincoln is $99,434, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
Lincoln reports roughly 1,092 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
Lincoln's Bike Score is 61/100 — 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.
Reasons are pulled from Lincoln'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.
Now and then. Lincoln's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 40°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. Lincoln's winter average of about 40°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Lincoln averages about 91°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
Lincoln falls in roughly USDA Zone 9. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Lincoln sits at about 151 feet (46 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
By the numbers, yes. Lincoln reports roughly 1,092 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Yes, noticeably. Lincoln's cost-of-living index runs 119, about 19% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Mostly car-dependent. Lincoln's Walk Score of 25/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $83,636 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 Lincoln runs about $2,067/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.