State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Nebraska
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Nebraska from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 3 metro areas.
- 90.1
- Statewide RPP
- #41
- of 51 states by cost
- 75.2
- Rents RPP
- 3
- Metro areas
Nebraska ranks #41 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- fell -0.2 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Kansas
The verdict
Nebraska costs less than 80% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 90.1, 9.9% below the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 75.2
- Kansas
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.0 points away
- Omaha
- highest-cost metro, 91.9
- Grand Island
- lowest-cost metro, 86.7
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $110,984 when earned in Nebraska.
Nebraska vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
90 Bottom 20% higher than 20% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Reading the Nebraska Cost of Living Picture
Nebraska sits in an affordability lane closest to Kansas, Kentucky, West Virginia. A lower statewide index does not mean every place or budget category is cheap; it means this state belongs with those peers before a household narrows to a metro. Its category range is 18.9 points: large enough to separate housing-sensitive and service-heavy budgets, but not a single-component outlier.
Nebraska captures 3 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Omaha, NE-IA leads on cost at 91.9, while Grand Island, NE sits at the opposite end at 86.7 - a gap of 5.3 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 94.1, for services 75.6, and for rents 75.2. Rents sit within 14.9 points of the statewide index, so no single category is distorting the headline — unusual, and it makes the state number more transferable between households than most.
Over time, Nebraska's statewide index has held steady within 0.5 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $110,984 of national buying power when earned inside Nebraska, and a household relocating here would need roughly $90,103 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 3 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Metro areas in Nebraska, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omaha | 91.9 | 94.1 | 76.4 | 86.4 |
| 2 | Lincoln | 91.6 | 94.1 | 76.8 | 84.2 |
| 3 | Grand Island | 86.7 | 94.1 | 74.2 | 61.7 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Nebraska RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 0.5 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 89.6 |
| 2009 | 90.6 |
| 2010 | 92.1 |
| 2011 | 91.4 |
| 2012 | 92.3 |
| 2013 | 91.8 |
| 2014 | 91.8 |
| 2015 | 91.2 |
| 2016 | 90.8 |
| 2017 | 89.8 |
| 2018 | 91.8 |
| 2019 | 92.5 |
| 2020 | 92.8 |
| 2021 | 92.0 |
| 2022 | 89.8 |
| 2023 | 90.3 |
| 2024 | 90.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Nebraska's overall RPP fell -0.2 points, from 90.3 in 2023 to 90.1 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 79.4 to 75.6. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
What this means in Nebraska
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Nebraska.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Omaha (91.9) and Grand Island (86.7) sit 5 index points apart inside Nebraska. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 75.2 (24.8% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Nebraska against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact state profile. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Nebraska, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Nebraska: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (90.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (75.2 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cheaper is living in Nebraska than the U.S. average?
Nebraska has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 90.1, meaning it is 9.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.1, services at 75.6, and rents at 75.2.
What salary in Nebraska equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,103 in Nebraska. Conversely, $100K earned in Nebraska has the purchasing power of $110,984 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in Nebraska?
Rents in Nebraska are indexed at 75.2, which is 24.8% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which is the most expensive metro in Nebraska?
The most expensive metro area in Nebraska is Omaha, NE-IA with an RPP of 91.9. The most affordable is Grand Island, NE at 86.7. There are 3 metro areas in Nebraska with BEA price data.
Is Nebraska getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Nebraska's overall cost index changed by +0.5 points (from 89.6 to 90.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.