Overall
- Clarksville
- 90.9
- Lincoln
- 91.6
Diff +0.6 RPP
Clarksville vs Lincoln
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Lincoln is 0.7% more expensive than Clarksville.
0.7% more expensive
Lincoln, NE is 0.7% more expensive than Clarksville, TN-KY on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.6 vs 90.9). A $100,000 salary in Clarksville buys about the same as $100,697 in Lincoln; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 90.9 (Clarksville) vs 91.6 (Lincoln)
- $100k in Clarksville ≈ $100,697 purchasing power in Lincoln
- Rents drives the gap (+10.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TN:NE 90.9→91.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TN × NE
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Clarksville
90.9
Cost Index
Lincoln
91.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Clarksville, TN-KY and Lincoln, NE are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.6 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Lincoln is 10.4 points higher. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Clarksville corresponds to $100,697 in Lincoln.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Clarksville
- 96.2
- Lincoln
- 94.1
Diff -2.1 RPP
Services
- Clarksville
- 72.5
- Lincoln
- 76.8
Diff +4.3 RPP
Rents
- Clarksville
- 73.8
- Lincoln
- 84.2
Diff +10.4 RPP
| Category | Clarksville | Lincoln | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 90.9 | 91.6 | +0.6 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 94.1 | -2.1 |
| Services | 72.5 | 76.8 | +4.3 |
| Rents | 73.8 | 84.2 | +10.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Clarksville 90.9
Lincoln 91.6
Goods
Clarksville 96.2
Lincoln 94.1
Services
Clarksville 72.5
Lincoln 76.8
Rents
Clarksville 73.8
Lincoln 84.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Clarksville would need to be in Lincoln for the same purchasing power:
| In Clarksville | In Lincoln | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,349 | +$349 |
| $75,000 | $75,523 | +$523 |
| $100,000 | $100,697 | +$697 |
| $150,000 | $151,046 | +$1,046 |
$ in Clarksville = in Lincoln
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (90.9 → 91.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lincoln more expensive than Clarksville?
Lincoln is 0.7% more expensive than Clarksville. The overall cost index is 91.6 vs 90.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Lincoln equals $100K in Clarksville?
A $100,000 salary in Clarksville has the same purchasing power as $100,697 in Lincoln. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Clarksville and Lincoln?
Rents in Clarksville are indexed at 73.8 while Lincoln is at 84.2 (national average = 100). Lincoln has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.