landable/cost of living comparison
vs

01 · the cities

Boston

Boston is brick sidewalks, dive bars older than most states, and an accent that turns 'park the car' into a love language. The city is densely packed with colleges (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, plus 30 more), which keeps it perpetually 22 years old in spirit. The Freedom Trail literally paints a red line through 400 years of American history. Dunkin' is not a chain here, it's a way of life.

full dispatch

Lincoln

Lincoln is the Nebraska state capital, home to the University of Nebraska, and on home-game Saturdays Memorial Stadium fills with over 85,000 fans (briefly making it the third-largest city in Nebraska). The state capitol is a striking 400-foot Art Deco tower visible from miles away. The Haymarket district downtown has the food and bar scene. Friendly, affordable, and prettier than its prairie reputation suggests.

full dispatch

02 · the money

Median rent

$3,145/mo

$1,311/mo

$1,834/mo less than Boston (140%)

Median home price

$771k

$302k

$469k less than Boston

State income tax

5.0%

5.8%

Gross left after rent

$4,772/mo

$6,536/mo

Lincoln has $1,764/mo more gross after rent at $100k

Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.

03 · the weather

Pleasant days/yr

160 days

152 days

8 fewer than Boston

Extreme heat days

2 days

13 days

days above 95°F per year

Extreme cold days

33 days

48 days

days below 20°F per year

Lincoln has 11 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Lincoln drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Boston.

04 · the life

OutdoorScore

71 / 100

53 / 100

18.0 pts behind Boston

Walk Score®

98 / 100

75 / 100

23 pts behind Boston

Nonstop flights

103 routes

3 routes

100 fewer direct routes than Boston

Metro size

4.9M metro

344k metro

Boston has 6.7x more events per month than Lincoln.

the verdict

6

Boston

categories won

of 9

3

Lincoln

categories won

Boston wins on weather and lifestyle. Lincoln has the edge on money.

run your numbers

How far does your Boston salary go?

Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.

see your top cities

We use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.

Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works