Lincoln, NE vs Boston, MA
Moving from Lincoln to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Boston 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 $120,132 in Boston, MA (+$20,132).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($179 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $38,532 | +$22,404 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $5,040 | +$212 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,210 | −$90 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $3,180 | +$1,740 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,800 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $17,694 | +$6,274 |
| Total | $40,715 | $69,455 | +$28,740 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |