Phoenix, AZ vs Lincoln, NE
Moving from Phoenix to Lincoln? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $304,242 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Lincoln 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $87,788 in Lincoln, NE (−$12,212).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Lincoln, NE: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,793 sqft in Lincoln ($242 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Lincoln, NE | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $16,128 | −$4,776 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,827 | −$92 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,300 | −$660 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,440 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $3,600 | +$1,800 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $11,420 | +$4,140 |
| Total | $40,531 | $40,715 | +$184 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Lincoln, NE |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 91.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 5.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.23 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $304,242 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 4.1% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,344 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.97% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 5.20% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 1.59% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.27% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 19 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.10 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $79 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $108 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $75 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 14 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 28.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 25.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 62% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |