Moving to Nebraska: City Guides, Checklist & Tips
Updated July 2026
Nebraska's top income tax rate has dropped to 4.55% as of 2026, part of a scheduled series of cuts that bottoms out at 3.99% in 2027. Omaha, home to our first Nebraska city guide, earns an A overall grade from Niche and runs a cost of living index of 90.8 — about 9% below the national average — on the strength of Fortune 500 anchors Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific, Kiewit, and Mutual of Omaha, plus Offutt Air Force Base just south of the city. Lincoln, the state capital and home of the University of Nebraska, sits an hour west and is next on our research list. This hub collects our city-by-city relocation guides for Nebraska, plus the practical steps to become a resident.
Nebraska City Guides
Omaha
Nebraska's largest city — Fortune 500 headquarters, Offutt AFB, and a cost of living index nearly 10% below the national average.
Read the Omaha guide →Lincoln
The state capital and home of the University of Nebraska, an hour west of Omaha.
Guide coming soon
Nebraska Living and Vacationing Quick Reference
Living here
- State income tax
- A graduated tax with a top rate of 4.55% as of 2026, scheduled to fall again to 3.99% in 2027
- Sales tax
- 5.5% statewide, averaging about 6.98% combined with local taxes
- Median home price
- About $276,000 statewide as of 2026 — around $280,000 in Omaha, $274,000 in Lincoln
- Cost of living
- About 9% below the national average in Omaha — a cost of living index of 90.8
- Driver's license deadline
- 30 days after establishing residency, the same deadline that applies to vehicle registration
- Population
- About 2.02 million as of 2025
Visiting first
- Main airport
- Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Omaha, the state's busiest
- Signature outdoors
- No national park, but Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff in the western panhandle preserve the landscape Oregon Trail pioneers actually walked past
- Best scouting months
- May, June, September, and October — outside the harshest summer humidity and winter cold
- The "flat and empty" reputation, honestly
- Eastern Nebraska around Omaha and Lincoln is a genuine metro corridor of over a million people with Fortune 500 headquarters and a growing tech scene — the flat, empty image belongs to the rural western two-thirds of the state, not the part where most residents actually live
- A military command center in the cornfields
- Offutt Air Force Base, just south of Omaha, hosts U.S. Strategic Command — the only command overseeing all three legs of the nuclear triad
- Getting around
- Interstate 80 links Omaha and Lincoln an hour apart; a car is essential in both cities, which run car-dependent Walk Scores in the high 40s
How Nebraska Got Its Name
Nebraska comes from an Otoe word, recorded by French traders as early as 1714, meaning roughly "flat water" — a description of the wide, shallow Platte River that runs through the state. French explorers translated the same idea into rivière platte, giving the river its own name, Platte, a near-duplicate of the state's name hiding in plain sight. The flat, unglamorous river description undersells what sits just south of Omaha: Offutt Air Force Base hosts the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command, the single military command responsible for all three legs of the nuclear triad — land-based missiles, submarines, and bombers — from a $1.3 billion command center that opened in 2019.
How to Become a Nebraska Resident
Establishing residency unlocks a Nebraska driver's license, vehicle registration, in-state tuition, and resident access to state parks and programs. You establish residency in Nebraska by doing any one of the following — you don't need all of them:
- Renting or buying a house or apartment in Nebraska
- Being employed within Nebraska
- Being registered to vote in Nebraska
- Having a business located in Nebraska
- Having children who attend a Nebraska primary or secondary school
- Spending more than 183 days in Nebraska over a 12-month period
Nebraska Moving Checklist
- Transfer your driver's license and register your vehicle — both due within 30 days, see the quick reference above
- Update your car insurance policy to meet Nebraska requirements
- Register to vote at your new address
- Update your health insurance and other policies, and find new providers
- Transfer medical, dental, and school records, and enroll children in your new district — consider suburban districts if you land in Omaha
- Set up utilities and file your change of address with USPS
Questions Movers Ask About Nebraska
Does Nebraska have an income tax?
Yes — a graduated state income tax with a top rate of 4.55% as of 2026, down from 5.2% the year before, as part of a legislated reduction that continues to 3.99% in 2027. Sales tax adds 5.5% at the state level, averaging about 6.98% combined with local taxes.
How expensive is it to live in Nebraska?
Omaha, home to our first Nebraska city guide, runs a cost of living index of 90.8 — about 9% below the national average — with a median home price around $280,000 as of 2026. Statewide, the median home value is about $276,000, according to Zillow.
How long do I have to get a Nebraska driver's license after moving?
30 days. Nebraska requires new residents with a valid out-of-state license to obtain a Nebraska license within 30 days of establishing residency, and vehicle registration is due on the same 30-day timeline.
Is Nebraska really flat and empty?
That reputation fits the rural western two-thirds of the state more than the eastern corridor where most Nebraskans actually live. The Omaha–Lincoln area is a metro region of more than a million people with four Fortune 500 headquarters, U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, and a growing tech sector — not the empty plains the state's name and highway-driving reputation suggest.
What is Offutt Air Force Base known for?
Offutt, just south of Omaha in Bellevue, hosts the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command — the only U.S. military command responsible for all three legs of the nuclear triad: land-based missiles, submarines, and strategic bombers. Its current command center, a $1.3 billion facility, opened in 2019.
Which Nebraska city should I move to?
Omaha is the practical answer for most movers — the state's largest city, with the deepest job market and the only ScoutLocale guide in Nebraska so far. Lincoln, an hour west, is the state capital and university town, smaller and slightly more affordable, with a guide coming soon.
Moving to Nebraska from Another State?
We compare the two states side by side — taxes, housing, and what changes on day one:
Sources and Data Notes
Residency options, license and vehicle-registration deadlines, and tax rates on this page reflect requirements published by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles and the Nebraska Department of Revenue. Cost, housing, and job-market figures draw on the public datasets used across ScoutLocale's city guides, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BestPlaces.net, and Niche.com.
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