Moving to Nebraska from Washington
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Washington to Nebraska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Washington to Nebraska, you would find that Nebraska is 19.6% cheaper than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $60,300 in Nebraska to maintain the same lifestyle. Seattle and Omaha are about 1,350 mi apart.
Is Nebraska cheaper than Washington?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 11.2% less
Groceries
pay 9.9% less
Transportation
pay 15.7% less
Housing
pay 30.0% less
Childcare
pay 41.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.1% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Nebraska?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $60,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Nebraska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How Washington and Nebraska stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Nebraska performs significantly better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Washington performs better than Nebraska across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Nebraska performs significantly better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington generally does better on infrastructure, though Nebraska leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Nebraska leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington performs better than Nebraska across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Nebraska vs Washington
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seattle | Omaha |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/38°F (10°/3°C) | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/47°F (18°/8°C) | 72°/49°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 74°/55°F (23°/13°C) | 81°/60°F (27°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/41°F (11°/5°C) | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seattle | Omaha |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/37°F (8.4°/2.7°C) | 32°/13°F (0.1°/-10.7°C) |
| Feb | 50°/37°F (9.9°/2.7°C) | 36°/17°F (2.5°/-8.6°C) |
| Mar | 54°/39°F (12.1°/4.1°C) | 49°/27°F (9.6°/-3.0°C) |
| Apr | 58°/42°F (14.7°/5.7°C) | 62°/38°F (16.8°/3.1°C) |
| May | 65°/47°F (18.2°/8.5°C) | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.0°C) |
| Jun | 70°/52°F (21.1°/11.1°C) | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 76°/56°F (24.3°/13.1°C) | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.3°C) |
| Aug | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.3°C) | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.1°C) |
| Sep | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.2°C) | 76°/53°F (24.2°/11.6°C) |
| Oct | 60°/46°F (15.4°/7.7°C) | 63°/41°F (17.4°/5.0°C) |
| Nov | 51°/40°F (10.5°/4.4°C) | 48°/28°F (8.8°/-2.3°C) |
| Dec | 46°/36°F (7.6°/2.0°C) | 34°/16°F (1.0°/-9.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Nebraska than Washington?
Generally yes: Nebraska runs about 20% cheaper than Washington on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Nebraska?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $15,075 in Nebraska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Nebraska safe?
Nebraska performs significantly better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Nebraska compared to Washington?
Washington performs better than Nebraska across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Nebraska compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Omaha is 60°F, compared to 60°F in Seattle. Omaha receives around 31.2 in of rainfall per year, while Seattle gets 37.5 in.
