Omaha, NE vs Boston, MA
Moving from Omaha to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($310,337 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Omaha vs Boston 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 Omaha, NE, you'd need about $119,376 in Boston, MA (+$19,376).
Livability — Omaha, NE: 69 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,738 sqft in Omaha vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($183 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Omaha, NE | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $38,532 | +$21,204 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $5,040 | +$212 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,210 | −$90 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $3,180 | +$1,740 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,800 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $11,575 | $17,694 | +$6,119 |
| Total | $42,070 | $69,455 | +$27,385 |
Side by side
| Metric | Omaha, NE | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.42% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $310,337 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $183 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |