Overall
- Omaha
- 91.9
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 91.8
Diff -0.1 RPP
Omaha vs La Crosse-Onalaska
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. La Crosse-Onalaska is 0.2% less expensive than Omaha.
0.2% less expensive
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN is 0.2% less expensive than Omaha, NE-IA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.8 vs 91.9). A $100,000 salary in Omaha buys about the same as $99,846 in La Crosse-Onalaska; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.9 (Omaha) vs 91.8 (La Crosse-Onalaska)
- $100k in Omaha ≈ $99,846 purchasing power in La Crosse-Onalaska
- Rents drives the gap (-17.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NE:WI 91.9→91.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NE × WI
- 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.
Omaha
91.9
Cost Index
La Crosse-Onalaska
91.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Omaha, NE-IA and La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: La Crosse-Onalaska is 17.0 points lower. But services 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 Omaha corresponds to $99,846 in La Crosse-Onalaska.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Omaha
- 94.1
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 93.8
Diff -0.3 RPP
Services
- Omaha
- 76.4
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 89.5
Diff +13.2 RPP
Rents
- Omaha
- 86.4
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 69.4
Diff -17.0 RPP
| Category | Omaha | La Crosse-Onalaska | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.9 | 91.8 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 94.1 | 93.8 | -0.3 |
| Services | 76.4 | 89.5 | +13.2 |
| Rents | 86.4 | 69.4 | -17.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Omaha 91.9
La Crosse-Onalaska 91.8
Goods
Omaha 94.1
La Crosse-Onalaska 93.8
Services
Omaha 76.4
La Crosse-Onalaska 89.5
Rents
Omaha 86.4
La Crosse-Onalaska 69.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Omaha would need to be in La Crosse-Onalaska for the same purchasing power:
| In Omaha | In La Crosse-Onalaska | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,923 | $-77 |
| $75,000 | $74,884 | $-116 |
| $100,000 | $99,846 | $-154 |
| $150,000 | $149,768 | $-232 |
$ in Omaha = in La Crosse-Onalaska
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.9 → 91.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is La Crosse-Onalaska more expensive than Omaha?
La Crosse-Onalaska is 0.2% less expensive than Omaha. The overall cost index is 91.8 vs 91.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in La Crosse-Onalaska equals $100K in Omaha?
A $100,000 salary in Omaha has the same purchasing power as $99,846 in La Crosse-Onalaska. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Omaha and La Crosse-Onalaska?
Rents in Omaha are indexed at 86.4 while La Crosse-Onalaska is at 69.4 (national average = 100). Omaha 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.