Washington, DC vs Omaha, NE
Moving from Washington to Omaha? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $310,337 median home) and taxes.
Washington vs Omaha 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $84,419 in Omaha, NE (−$15,581).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Omaha, NE: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 2,738 sqft in Omaha ($389 vs $183 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Omaha, NE | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $17,328 | −$11,664 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $4,828 | −$490 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $3,300 | −$555 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $1,440 | −$1,308 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $3,600 | +$2,200 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $11,575 | −$6,135 |
| Total | $60,023 | $42,070 | −$17,952 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Omaha, NE |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 92.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 3.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.26 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $310,337 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 2.2% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $183 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,444 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.97% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 5.20% |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.27% |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 14 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |