Lincoln, NE vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Lincoln to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Seattle 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 $122,676 in Seattle, WA (+$22,676).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($179 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $26,784 | +$10,656 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $5,405 | +$578 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $4,075 | +$775 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,548 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,500 | −$2,100 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $8,826 | −$2,593 |
| Total | $40,715 | $48,138 | +$7,423 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $79 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $108 | $167 |
| Home internet / mo | $75 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 37 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 28.0 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.0 | 6.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 47% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |