Lincoln, NE vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Lincoln to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Las Vegas 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 $106,957 in Las Vegas, NV (+$6,957).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($179 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $20,844 | +$4,716 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,841 | +$14 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $4,740 | +$1,440 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,548 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,300 | −$2,300 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $4,779 | −$6,641 |
| Total | $40,715 | $38,052 | −$2,663 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |