Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln and Olympia, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lincoln: $2,203 a month against $2,983 in Olympia, WA, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Olympia, WA
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Olympia, WA Living Index

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Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Olympia, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lincoln and in Olympia, WA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lincoln and in Olympia, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lincoln versus $2,983 in Olympia, WA.

Lincoln $2,203
Olympia, WA $2,983

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,290 in Lincoln versus $4,154 in Olympia, WA.

Lincoln $3,290
Olympia, WA $4,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,376 in Lincoln versus $5,325 in Olympia, WA.

Lincoln $4,376
Olympia, WA $5,325

Living in Lincoln costs roughly 26% less than in Olympia, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lincoln 63% above, Olympia, WA 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.70 £20.03

$24.52 $24.52

8.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 £64.4

$65.0 $65.0

31.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 £6.11

$12.68 $12.68

-35.80%

Cappuccino

$4.98 £3.74

$6.42 $6.42

-22.43%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 £1.98

$2.92 $2.92

-9.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.68 $1.68

17.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 £5.03

$6.90 $6.90

-2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.58 £4.94

$6.94 $6.94

-5.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.07 $1.07

30.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 £1.12

$4.46 $4.46

-66.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$3.16 $3.16

-57.59%

Eggs

$3.36 £2.52

$5.03 $5.03

-33.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 £6.23

$18.35 $18.35

-54.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 £6.44

$10.41 $10.41

-17.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 £8.54

$16.73 $16.73

-31.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 £2.61

$5.24 $5.24

-33.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.62 $1.62

-25.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$3.98 $3.98

-21.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 £2.74

$4.57 $4.57

-20.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$2.61 $2.61

-43.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$2.48 $2.48

-53.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.78

$2.34 $2.34

-55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.02

$2.56 $2.56

-47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.57 £17.68

$12.09 $12.09

94.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

$14.85 $14.85

-29.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$2.45 $2.45

29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 £2.69

$2.35 $2.35

52.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 £3.12

$0.87 $0.87

377.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 £2.91

$5.03 $5.03

-22.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 £0.54

$2.66 $2.66

-73.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.84 £14.89

$51.7 $51.7

-61.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.36 $1.36

51.47%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.6K £28.9K

$28.2K $28.2K

36.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.4K £30.3K

$27.1K $27.1K

48.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$304 £228

$156 $156

95.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.07 £12.81

$69.6 $69.6

-75.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.02 £30.02

$95.4 $95.4

-58.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.70 £20.03

$69.1 $69.1

-61.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.35 £16.01

$5.06 $5.06

321.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 £11.66

$12.09 $12.09

28.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,831 £1,373

$1,454 $1,454

25.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K £15.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 £85.9

$45.13 $45.13

153.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 £43.98

$54.5 $54.5

7.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 £63.7

$91.2 $91.2

-6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 £74.5

$102 $102

-3.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 £809

$1,718 $1,718

-37.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$854 £640

$1,618 $1,618

-47.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 £1,453

$3,143 $3,143

-38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 £1,070

$2,350 $2,350

-39.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 £1,878

$3,235 $3,235

-22.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 £916

$3,068 $3,068

-60.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,307 £2,481

$5,106 $5,106

-35.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

6.81

-28.34%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 2026

Last update for Olympia, WA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lincoln

$854 38.7%

Olympia, WA

$1.6K 54.2% 89.5% $764

Eating Out

Lincoln

$363 16.5%

Olympia, WA

$378 12.7% 4.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln

$361 16.4%

Olympia, WA

$321 10.8% 11.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln

$276 12.5%

Olympia, WA

$420 14.1% 51.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln

$161 7.3%

Olympia, WA

$132 4.4% 17.9% $29

Getting Around

Lincoln

$131 6%

Olympia, WA

$22 * 0.7% 83.4% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln

$58 2.6%

Olympia, WA

$93 3.1% 61.3% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Lincoln and $1,718 in Olympia, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olympia, WA pays 54% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $86.0 in Lincoln vs $65.0 in Olympia, WA. Groceries flip the comparison at $276 vs $420, with Lincoln cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🇺🇸 Olympia, WA

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

19:14 7:14 PM

8 h behind Lincoln

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,541

55,605

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lincoln Olympia, WA 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln
Olympia, WA

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lincoln vs Olympia, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lincoln and Olympia, WA differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $2,983 including rent). Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Olympia, WA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Lincoln versus $1,718 in Olympia, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,831 in Lincoln versus $1,454 in Olympia, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lincoln – a meal for two runs $86.0 versus $65.0 in Olympia, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,203 in Lincoln versus $2,983 in Olympia, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lincoln but tight or insufficient in Olympia, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Lincoln the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lincoln and Olympia, WA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lincoln gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Olympia, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.