Lincoln, NE vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Lincoln to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Phoenix 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 $113,911 in Phoenix, AZ (+$13,911).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($179 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $20,904 | +$4,776 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,919 | +$92 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,960 | +$660 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,668 | +$228 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,800 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $7,280 | −$4,139 |
| Total | $40,715 | $40,531 | −$184 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $79 | $54 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $108 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $75 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 41 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 28.0 | 7.2 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 85% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |