Lincoln, NE vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Lincoln to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Minneapolis 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 $113,504 in Minneapolis, MN (+$13,504).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($179 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $20,652 | +$4,524 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $5,227 | +$400 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,375 | +$75 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,776 | +$336 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $2,200 | −$1,400 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $16,345 | +$4,926 |
| Total | $40,715 | $49,575 | +$8,860 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.15 |
| Natural gas / mo | $79 | $76 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $108 | $77 |
| Home internet / mo | $75 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 4 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 28.0 | 31.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.0 | 51.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |