Lincoln, NE vs Washington, DC
Moving from Lincoln to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($304,242 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Lincoln vs Washington 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 $119,207 in Washington, DC (+$19,207).
Livability — Lincoln, NE: 68 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,793 sqft in Lincoln vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($179 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lincoln, NE | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,128 | $28,992 | +$12,864 |
| Groceries | $4,827 | $5,318 | +$490 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,855 | +$555 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $2,748 | +$1,308 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,400 | −$2,200 |
| Taxes | $11,420 | $17,710 | +$6,291 |
| Total | $40,715 | $60,023 | +$19,308 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lincoln, NE | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $304,242 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.1% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,344 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.59% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.40 |
| Natural gas / mo | $79 | $80 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $108 | $271 |
| Home internet / mo | $75 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 29 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 28.0 | 41.8 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.0 | 13.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |