What salary do you need to live in Lincoln, NE?

What housing costs in Lincoln

Census figures put the median gross rent in the Lincoln, NE metro at $922 for a one-bedroom, $1,091 for a two-bedroom and $1,414 for a three-bedroom. Moving from one to two bedrooms adds $169 a month, and the third bedroom another $323.

The median value of owner-occupied homes in the metro is $273,500. That works out to 3.6× the local median household income of $75,049, a mid-range ratio.

Price levels matter beyond rent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures Lincoln's overall prices at 91.6 on a scale where the nation is 100, which makes a $100,000 salary feel like about $109,193 would elsewhere.

Income needed for each grade in Lincoln

The salary lines for a two-bedroom household land at $31,000 for Tight, $63,000 for Okay and $126,000 for Comfortable. The gap between the Okay and Comfortable lines alone is $63,000, which says how much extra income it takes to make housing feel roomy here rather than merely workable.

Reaching Royal takes $331,000 — 2.6× the Comfortable line — because the last points come slowly once rent is already a small share.

These lines come straight from the calculator's formula: the income is raised until the two-bedroom score crosses each cutoff, then rounded up to the next $1,000.

What different incomes look like in Lincoln

On $75,000, a one-bedroom scores 53 and a three-bedroom 46, both Okay; the extra bedrooms cost points but not a grade.

Of the four salaries, $150,000 is the first where a two-bedroom reads Comfortable or better; $100,000 still lands at Okay.

How Lincoln ranks among 387 metros

On price level Lincoln is 256th of 387 (1 = most expensive); on two-bedroom rent it is 223rd, and on median home value 178th. The two rankings agree, both falling in the middle half.

For a sense of scale, the metros just above and below it on two-bedroom rent are La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN ($1,094) and Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI ($1,091).

Lincoln vs. the rest of Nebraska

Compared with Nebraska as a whole, two-bedroom rent in Lincoln is about the same ($1,091 vs. $1,083) and the median home is 15% higher ($273,500 vs. $238,600).

On statewide medians, a two-bedroom budget reaches Comfortable at $114,000 — below Lincoln's $126,000 line.

Within Nebraska, the metros closest to Lincoln on rent and overall prices are Sioux City, IA-NE-SD, Omaha, NE-IA, and Grand Island, NE. Their Comfortable lines for two bedrooms sit at $93,000, $133,000, and $96,000.

Lincoln's median income on the scale

The median household in the metro earns $75,049 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 50, Okay. The Comfortable line is 68% above what the median household makes. For Nebraska as a whole, the median household income of $76,475 scores 54 against statewide rents. Keep in mind a household median often combines two incomes.

Estimates use pre-tax income and public data; they are not financial advice.