Lincoln, NE vs Providence, RI
Moving from Lincoln to Providence? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $524,867 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Providence 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 $110,467 in Providence, RI (+$10,467).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Providence, RI: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 1,524 sqft in Providence ($179 vs $328 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Providence, RI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $25,956 | +$9,828 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,922 | +$94 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,875 | +$575 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $3,060 | +$1,620 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,700 | −$1,900 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $13,121 | +$1,702 |
| Total | $40,715 | $52,634 | +$11,919 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Providence, RI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 101.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.82% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.78 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $524,867 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $328 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $2,163 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 5.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 1.31% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 28.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $79 | $92 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $108 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $75 | $67 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 240 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 21 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 28.0 | 47.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.0 | 36.6 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |