Lincoln, NE vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Lincoln to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Indianapolis 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 $103,000 in Indianapolis, IN (+$3,000).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($179 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $18,636 | +$2,508 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,740 | −$87 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,250 | −$50 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,932 | +$492 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,600 | −$2,000 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $7,367 | −$4,052 |
| Total | $40,715 | $37,525 | −$3,190 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |