Indianapolis, IN vs Lincoln, NE
Moving from Indianapolis to Lincoln? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $304,242 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Lincoln at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $97,087 in Lincoln, NE (−$2,913).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Lincoln, NE: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 2,793 sqft in Lincoln ($156 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Lincoln, NE | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $16,128 | −$2,508 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,827 | +$87 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,300 | +$50 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,440 | −$492 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $3,600 | +$2,000 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $11,420 | +$4,053 |
| Total | $37,525 | $40,715 | +$3,190 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Lincoln, NE |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 91.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 5.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.23 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $304,242 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 4.1% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,344 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.97% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 5.20% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.59% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 2.27% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 19 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 14 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |