Lincoln, NE vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Lincoln to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Atlanta 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 Lincoln, NE, you'd need about $109,346 in Atlanta, GA (+$9,346).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($179 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $22,080 | +$5,952 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,926 | +$99 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,515 | +$215 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,656 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $2,100 | −$1,500 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $10,533 | −$886 |
| Total | $40,715 | $44,810 | +$4,095 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.15 |
| Natural gas / mo | $79 | $74 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $108 | $123 |
| Home internet / mo | $75 | $88 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 34 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 28.0 | 50.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.0 | 2.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |