Iowa City vs Omaha
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $245,500 in Omaha and $285,900 in Iowa City.
- Households earn more in Omaha ($73,201 vs $58,546 median).
- Iowa City is growing faster: +1.9% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
Side by side
| Iowa City, IA | Omaha, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,229 | 488,797 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.9% | -0.6% |
| People per square mile | 2,959 | 3,420 |
| Median age | 26.2 | 35.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 61% | 40% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $58,546 | $73,201 |
| Median home value | $285,900 | $245,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.9× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,094 | $1,187 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.5 | 91.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 84.0 | 86.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,600 | $68,900 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 3.8% | 4.55% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.3 | 19.6 |
| Work from home | 12% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 26.3% | 13.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 15° | 34° / 15° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 88° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 28 in | 27 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 19 | 33 |
| Nights below freezing | 135 | 134 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 87.4 | 95.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 62% |
| Home prices, past year | +3% | +4.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.9% | +40.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Iowa City: May and July to October. Omaha: June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Iowa City weather by month and Omaha weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,600 in Iowa City and $68,900 in Omaha. Moving from Iowa City to Omaha, you would need about $75,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Iowa City and Omaha
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Iowa City and Omaha.
Which would you pick?
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