Lincoln, NE vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Lincoln to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Tampa 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 $111,513 in Tampa, FL (+$11,513).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($179 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $24,216 | +$8,088 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,949 | +$121 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $4,800 | +$1,500 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,656 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $4,200 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $4,642 | −$6,777 |
| Total | $40,715 | $44,463 | +$3,748 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |