Iowa City → Lincoln

Moving from Iowa City to Lincoln shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 91.5 to 91.6 (100 = US average), so a Iowa City salary needs to be multiplied by 1.00 to hold the same purchasing power in Lincoln. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,141/month in Iowa City to $1,141/month in Lincoln - essentially unchanged. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.

Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $66,752 in Iowa City versus $65,897 in Lincoln - a raw gap of $855 lower. The Lincoln labor market has 174,050 tracked jobs against 83,600 in Iowa City, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.

Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Iowa City and Lincoln are 238 and 217 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 14.8:1 at origin versus 13.5:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $8,306/year in Iowa City versus $9,863/year in Lincoln. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.