Lincoln, NE vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Lincoln to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Detroit 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 $106,849 in Detroit, MI (+$6,849).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($179 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $18,000 | +$1,872 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,896 | +$69 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $4,575 | +$1,275 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $2,316 | +$876 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,300 | −$2,300 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $9,547 | −$1,872 |
| Total | $40,715 | $40,634 | −$80 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |