Photo: Hanyou23 · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Lincoln costs more to live in than 72% of U.S. towns
It ranks #54 of 57 in Nebraska and #108 of 400 U.S. cities over 100,000 for affordability. Up 2.8% in a year, close to the Nebraska typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Lincoln, NE metro area ($75K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Lincoln’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($75K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 18% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 47% of renters.
In dollars
- $291Ktypical home, 5% above the Nebraska typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,200a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 92prices across the Lincoln metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 84)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$75K, Lincoln-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 47%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Nebraska: 45%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Lincoln
What’s behind Lincoln’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lincoln is more affordable than 28% of U.S. towns, #54 of 57 in Nebraska. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Nebraska: up 23.6% in five years, against 26.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 23.6% in five years
About the same pace as Nebraska (26.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Lincoln | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $169,000 | $155,000 |
| 2018 | $178,000 | $165,000 |
| 2019 | $188,000 | $174,000 |
| 2020 | $197,000 | $185,000 |
| 2021 | $214,000 | $203,000 |
| 2022 | $240,000 | $225,000 |
| 2023 | $258,000 | $245,000 |
| 2024 | $269,000 | $257,000 |
| 2025 | $278,000 | $267,000 |
| 2026 | $289,000 | $275,000 |
| September 2026 | $291,000 | $278,000 |
A typical Lincoln home worth $167K in October 2016 is worth about $291K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 3.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lincoln’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $23K short of a typical Lincoln home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200 a month here, $700 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lincoln’s typical property tax (1.52% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200
Renters already here pay a median of $1,086, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Lincoln, NE HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
2,215 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 2,215 new homes in Lincoln in 2025: 859 single-family houses and 1,356 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $475.7 million to build. That's 7.5 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Nebraska (5.7). Over the past 10 years, Lincoln has permitted 20,760 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lincoln gained 32,703 residents while 16,018 new homes were permitted: about 2 new residents per new home, about the same as across Nebraska (1.8).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 1,205 | 646 | 559 | $286.7 million |
| 2025 | 2,215 | 859 | 1,356 | $475.7 million |
| 2024 | 1,730 | 937 | 793 | $399.7 million |
| 2023 | 1,981 | 699 | 1,282 | $437.6 million |
| 2022 | 3,122 | 943 | 2,179 | $518.6 million |
| 2021 | 2,320 | 1,093 | 1,227 | $499.4 million |
| 2020 | 1,742 | 964 | 778 | $303.1 million |
| 2019 | 1,727 | 863 | 864 | $287.6 million |
| 2018 | 1,532 | 859 | 673 | $278.8 million |
| 2017 | 2,225 | 994 | 1,231 | $335.9 million |
| 2016 | 2,166 | 928 | 1,238 | $323.3 million |
| 2015 | 2,353 | 895 | 1,458 | $337.5 million |
| 2014 | 1,792 | 854 | 938 | $251.6 million |
| 2013 | 1,375 | 844 | 531 | $180.4 million |
| 2012 | 1,092 | 704 | 388 | $148 million |
| 2011 | 923 | 544 | 379 | $112.2 million |
| 2010 | 833 | 501 | 332 | $108.2 million |
| 2009 | 604 | 558 | 46 | $91 million |
| 2008 | 666 | 539 | 127 | $102.7 million |
| 2007 | 1,107 | 829 | 278 | $157.6 million |
| 2006 | 1,175 | 958 | 217 | $179 million |
| 2005 | 1,453 | 1,232 | 221 | $211.7 million |
| 2004 | 2,153 | 1,688 | 465 | $290.8 million |
| 2003 | 2,271 | 1,870 | 401 | $280.9 million |
| 2002 | 1,773 | 1,407 | 366 | $216.4 million |
| 2001 | 1,636 | 1,305 | 331 | $196.9 million |
| 2000 | 1,585 | 1,202 | 383 | $174.2 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Nebraska norm
The median bill is $4,023 (Nebraska: $3,549), 1.52% of a home’s value a year, against 1.49% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Lincoln
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Lincoln, NE metro area, or Nebraska. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 92 | NE 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | NE 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 77 | NE 76 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 93 | NE 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Lincoln vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Lincoln has the lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | C | $291K | $264K | 1.52% | $1,200 |
| Yankee Hill | – | — | $284K | 1.35% | $1,240 |
| Walton | – | $685K | $464K | — | $1,570 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Lincoln
Is Lincoln expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lincoln costs more than 72% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #54 of 57 in Nebraska. The typical home costs 3.5 years of the median household income of the Lincoln, NE metro area ($75K).
How much does a house cost in Lincoln?
About $291K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.8% in a year. The Nebraska typical home is $278K.
What salary do you need to live in Lincoln?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $81,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,900 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $48,000.
How much is rent in Lincoln?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,200 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,086 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lincoln?
The median bill is $4,023 a year, 1.52% of the median home value (Nebraska: $3,549, 1.49%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Lincoln going up?
Yes: up 2.8% in the past year and 23.6% in five years, against 26.1% across Nebraska (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Lincoln buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.