Lincoln, NE vs Kansas City, MO
Moving from Lincoln to Kansas City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $329,641 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Kansas City 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 $101,426 in Kansas City, MO (+$1,426).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Kansas City, MO: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 2,654 sqft in Kansas City ($179 vs $188 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Kansas City, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $18,576 | +$2,448 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,828 | +$0 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,390 | +$90 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,512 | +$72 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $2,400 | −$1,200 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $10,526 | −$893 |
| Total | $40,715 | $41,232 | +$517 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.18% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 4.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $329,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $188 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,548 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |