Grand Island composite
57.7 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Grand Island vs Lincoln
Grand Island, NE and Lincoln, NE side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 57.7
- Grand Island Life Score
- B+
- Grand Island grade
- 59.6
- Lincoln Life Score
- A-
- Lincoln grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Grand Island scores higher on 3 (cost of living, safety, childcare) and Lincoln on 4 (wages, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Grand Island vs Lincoln across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Grand Island Lincoln ◗
cost of living
92
66
wages
33
51
rent
62
74
safety
82
81
schools
20
20
childcare
56
56
environment
34
53
Grand Island and Lincoln differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Grand Island has a cost-of-living index of 86.7 vs Lincoln's 91.6 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $60,012 in Grand Island and $65,897 in Lincoln. A 2-bedroom averages $1,215/mo vs $1,141/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Grand Island vs Lincoln Comparison
Grand Island (NE) and Lincoln (NE) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 86.7 for Grand Island against 91.6 for Lincoln, a 4.9-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,215/mo in Grand Island and $1,141/mo in Lincoln, a $74/mo difference that compounds to $888 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $60,012 across 31,670 jobs in Grand Island against $65,897 across 174,050 jobs in Lincoln. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Grand Island carries the same local purchasing power as $105,682 in Lincoln - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 217.3 per 100,000 residents in NE vs 217.3 in NE, with property-crime rates of 1630.8 and 1630.8 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: NE lists 1,010 public schools at a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio, while NE lists 1,010 schools at 13.5:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $9,863/yr in the Grand Island area versus $9,863/yr in Lincoln - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Grand Island and Lincoln are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Lincoln composite
59.6 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-4.9 pts
Grand Island vs Lincoln BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$74 /mo
Grand Island priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Grand Island
Grand Island composite (Grade B+)
Lincoln
Lincoln composite (Grade A-)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Grand Island | Lincoln |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 86.7 | 91.6 |
| Goods | 94.1 | 94.1 |
| Services | 74.2 | 76.8 |
| Rents | 61.7 | 84.2 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Lincoln gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Grand Island?
$
Equivalent in Lincoln:
$105,682
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Grand Island: 86.7, Lincoln: 91.6, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Grand Island | Lincoln |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $867/mo | $855/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $978/mo | $926/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,215/mo | $1,141/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,530/mo | $1,587/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,005/mo | $1,712/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Grand Island | Lincoln |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $60,012 | $65,897 |
| Total Employment | 31,670 | 174,050 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Grand Island (NE) | Lincoln (NE) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 217.3 | 217.3 |
| Property Crime | 1630.8 | 1630.8 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | NE | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,010 | 1,010 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 13.5:1 | 13.5:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.0% | 0.0% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | NE | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $9,863/yr | $9,863/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $9,338/yr | $9,338/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $8,545/yr | $8,545/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | NE | NE |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 233 | 233 |
| Water Systems | 596 | 596 |
| Superfund Sites | 19 | 19 |
| Water Violations | 2,160 | 2,160 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Grand Island | Lincoln |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 32.0 | 41.0 |
| Good Air Days | 76.8% | 83.8% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | NE | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 14/100 | 14/100 |
| Total Violations | 49,989 | 49,989 |
| Health-Based Violations | 32,716 | 32,716 |
| Systems with Violations | 88.9% | 88.9% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | NE | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 315 | 315 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | NE | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 25.8 | 25.8 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 31.6 | 31.6 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grand Island more expensive than Lincoln? ▼
Grand Island has a cost of living index of 86.7 compared to Lincoln's 91.6 (national average = 100). Lincoln is 4.9 points above Grand Island on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Grand Island and Lincoln? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,215/mo in Grand Island vs $1,141/mo in Lincoln, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $867/mo to $855/mo.
How do salaries compare between Grand Island and Lincoln? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $60,012 in Grand Island and $65,897 in Lincoln, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Grand Island has the same purchasing power as $105,682 in Lincoln.
Is Grand Island or Lincoln safer? ▼
At the state level, NE has a violent crime rate of 217.3 per 100,000 residents compared to NE's 217.3 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1630.8 vs 1630.8 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Grand Island and Lincoln? ▼
NE has 1,010 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.5:1, while NE has 1,010 schools at 13.5:1. Charter schools make up 0.0% of NE schools vs 0.0% in NE. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial