Iowa City vs Lincoln (Nebraska)
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 63. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
UNESCO City of Literature and a lively Big Ten college town
Full Iowa City profile →Plan a trip to Iowa City →Nebraska's capital: a big university, a tall capitol and low costs
Full Lincoln (Nebraska) profile →Plan a trip to Lincoln (Nebraska) →Where they differ
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, getting there & around, internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Iowa City if you want
- to spend about $2 less a month
Pick Lincoln (Nebraska) if you want
- no clear edge over Iowa City in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Iowa City | Lincoln (Nebraska) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 25 | 25 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 86 ✓ | 86 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 23 ✓ | 20 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 96 | 99 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Iowa City | Lincoln (Nebraska) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,745 ✓ | $2,747 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Iowa City | Lincoln (Nebraska) |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Iowa City | Lincoln (Nebraska) |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 93 Mbps ✓ | 91.1 Mbps |
| Upload | 29.9 Mbps | 31.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Iowa City | Lincoln (Nebraska) |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Iowa City | Lincoln (Nebraska) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 18 | 36 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Iowa City | Lincoln (Nebraska) |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7 µg/m³ | 5.6 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Iowa City or Lincoln (Nebraska)?
- Iowa City is cheaper: about $2,745 per month versus $2,747 for one person.
- Is Iowa City or Lincoln (Nebraska) safer?
- Iowa City and Lincoln (Nebraska) score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Iowa City or Lincoln (Nebraska)?
- Iowa City: a measured median of 93 Mbps versus 91.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Iowa City vs Champaign
- Iowa City vs Cincinnati
- Lincoln (Nebraska) vs Champaign
- Lincoln (Nebraska) vs Myrtle Beach
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.