State profile
Nebraska Cost of Living Comparison
Nebraska's 2024 price level is 90.103, 9.9% below the national level, and its price-adjusted income ranks sixth of 51.
Updated
90.103Nebraska all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 11 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Nebraska | Kansas | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 90.103 | 90.068 | +0.035 points |
| Rent price level | 75.174 | 71.156 | +4.018 points |
| Home value | $238,600±$1,365 | $217,200±$1,343 | +$21,400 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,083±$9 | $1,042±$9 | +$41 |
| Household income | $76,475±$633 | $74,275±$475 | +$2,200 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $3,549±$22 | $2,798±$18 | +$751 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Nebraska scales to $3,998 in Kansas at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Nebraska: low prices, high real income, heavy property taxes
Nebraska's numbers combine in a way few states manage. Real per capita personal income, which adjusts for the state's low prices, is $65,297: rank 6 and about 10.3% above the U.S. figure of $59,195. The median household income of $76,475 ranks only 29th, so the strength comes from prices doing much of the work.
The savings are broad. Other services (92.980) are the fourth-cheapest anywhere, goods (94.101) the seventh, utilities (75.604) the ninth and rents (75.174) the 17th. The two-bedroom gross-rent median is $1,083, rank 35, and renters spend 27.9% of income on gross rent, rank 42.
Property tax is the exception. The median real estate tax paid is $3,549 a year, rank 17, on homes with a median value of $238,600 that ranks 38th. Those are local bills: property tax is essentially absent from state collections.
The state government collected $7.29 billion in fiscal 2025, $3,614 per resident (rank 36). General sales supplied 41.9%, individual income tax 29.9% and corporate income tax 14.7%. The income tax is graduated, with a top rate of 4.55% for 2026.
Nebraska has grown relatively cheaper, from 92.808 in 2020 to 90.103 in 2024, a fall of 2.705 points.
Most neighbours are close in price: Kansas (90.068), Missouri (90.817), South Dakota (88.586) and Iowa (87.762), with Wyoming (92.691) a little higher. Colorado is the exception at 103.052, with rents at 127.359 and a two-bedroom median of $1,782, or $699 a month more. Kansas is also the nearest match nationally.
Category price levels in Nebraska
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 90.103 | 11 | 9.90% below |
| Goods | 94.101 | 7 | 5.90% below |
| Housing (rents) | 75.174 | 17 | 24.83% below |
| Utilities | 75.604 | 9 | 24.40% below |
| Other services | 92.980 | 4 | 7.02% below |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $65,297 | 6 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 92.808 · 2021 91.956 · 2022 89.844 · 2023 90.288 · 2024 90.103 (−2.705 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $1,736±$10 · rank 30, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $677±$5 · rank 18
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 27.9%±0.3 · rank 42
Nebraska state tax collections, FY2025
$7.29 billion in total, $3,614 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $2.18 billion | 29.9% | $1,080 |
| General sales | $3.05 billion | 41.9% | $1,513 |
| Property | $0.1 million | 0.0% | $0 |
| Motor fuel | $429.0 million | 5.9% | $213 |
| Other selective sales | $325.3 million | 4.5% | $161 |
| Corporate income | $1.08 billion | 14.7% | $533 |
| Licenses | $203.1 million | 2.8% | $101 |
| Severance | $3.1 million | 0.0% | $2 |
| Other taxes | $24.3 million | 0.3% | $12 |
Nebraska income tax on wages
Nebraska's top individual income tax rate is 4.55% for taxable years beginning in 2026, down from 5.20% in 2025, and falls to 3.99% for years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, under Nebraska Revised Statute 77-2715.03, which also sets the lower bracket rates.
Read : Nebraska Revised Statute 77-2715.03. Price parities exclude income taxes.
Nebraska beside its neighbours
Before you budget a move
A Nebraska comparison should keep salary negotiations separate from historical household-income statistics. An offered wage applies to a particular role and schedule; the Census median covers households with many different arrangements. Price the actual benefits, approved taxes and housing contract before judging spendable resources.
For Omaha-area, Lincoln-area or another destination, check whether work and residence are in the same jurisdiction and what travel is required. The state taxes-paid median gives an annual historical dollar reference. It does not establish the assessment or levy for an address you have yet to select.
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