Lincoln, NE vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Lincoln to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Virginia Beach 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 $106,343 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$6,343).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($179 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $22,344 | +$6,216 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $4,853 | +$26 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,080 | −$220 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,872 | +$432 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,500 | −$2,100 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $10,303 | −$1,117 |
| Total | $40,715 | $43,952 | +$3,237 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |