Overall
86.7
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Grand Island, NE
Cost-of-living indicators for Grand Island, NE, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.7
- Overall RPP
- #358
- of 387 metros
- 61.7
- Rents RPP
- $115K
- $100K national buys
Grand Island ranks #358 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 4.9 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Grand Forks
The verdict
Grand Island costs less than 93% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.7, 13.3% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 61.7.
- bottom 7%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 94.1
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 74.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $115,397 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,657.
Grand Island vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
87 Bottom 7% higher than 7% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Grand Island cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
61.7 RPP
- Services
Services
74.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
94.1 RPP
What this shows Grand Island's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 61.7 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 74.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Grand Island's cost comes from
Metros near Grand Island's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Grand Island (Grand Island, this metro): goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 61.7
- Grand Forks: goods RPP 95.6, rents RPP 59.7
- Florence: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 52.4
- Sioux City: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 57.8
- Kingsport: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 56.5
- St. Joseph: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 55.4
- Morristown: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 59
Price Index Summary
Goods
94.1
Below avg
Services
74.2
Cheap
Rents
61.7
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Grand Island's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Grand Island: rents index at 61.7, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 86.7.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Minot, ND, Bowling Green, KY, Cleveland, TN. They resemble Grand Island across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Grand Island's overall index has risen by 4.9 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$86,657
in Grand Island, NE purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,329
$75,000 nationally
$64,993
$125,000 nationally
$108,321
$150,000 nationally
$129,985
$200,000 nationally
$173,314
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
81/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
81st percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Grand Island's overall RPP fell -0.5 points, from 87.1 in 2023 to 86.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 76.9 to 74.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 4.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 5.8 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Grand Island overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 81.8 |
| 2009 | 82.3 |
| 2010 | 88.1 |
| 2011 | 89.2 |
| 2012 | 85.0 |
| 2013 | 86.9 |
| 2014 | 83.3 |
| 2015 | 87.3 |
| 2016 | 87.7 |
| 2017 | 83.2 |
| 2018 | 88.1 |
| 2019 | 90.0 |
| 2020 | 90.5 |
| 2021 | 89.1 |
| 2022 | 86.7 |
| 2023 | 87.1 |
| 2024 | 86.7 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Grand Island's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Minot, ND
Goods 95.7 · Services 72.9 · Rents 63.2 Bowling Green, KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.2 · Rents 63.4 Cleveland, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.3 · Rents 60.3 Johnson City, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 71.9 · Rents 63.2 Hattiesburg, MS
Goods 96.2 · Services 76.9 · Rents 60.1 Grand Forks, ND-MN
Goods 95.6 · Services 77.1 · Rents 59.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Grand Island, NE's index of 86.7.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
NE-relative analysis
Services prices places Grand Island, NE near the bottom of NE's metros
Among the 3 NE metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Grand Island, NE ranks #3 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Grand Island, NE only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 3
33rd percentile in NE
Services prices
#3 of 3
0th percentile in NE
Rent prices
#3 of 3
0th percentile in NE
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within NE only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Grand Island, NE: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (86.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (61.7 here).
Other NE Metros
View all NE metros → Cheapest in NE → Most expensive in NE →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Grand Island
How to read Grand Island's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $115,397 in Grand Island. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 61.7, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Grand Island head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Grand Island, NE?
Grand Island, NE has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.7, meaning it is 13.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.1, services at 74.2, and rents at 61.7. It ranks #358 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Grand Island, NE to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,657 in Grand Island, NE. Conversely, $100K earned in Grand Island, NE has the purchasing power of $115,397 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Grand Island, NE?
Rents in Grand Island, NE are indexed at 61.7, which is 38.3% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Grand Island, NE getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Grand Island, NE's overall cost index changed by +4.9 points (from 81.8 to 86.7). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Grand Island, NE?
The priciest category in Grand Island, NE is goods at 94.1, 5.9% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 61.7, 38.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Grand Island, NE?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Grand Forks, Florence, Sioux City. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Grand Island, NE's 86.7.
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.