Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olympia, WA and Lincoln

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.

144

Cost of Living Index in Olympia, WA
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Olympia, WA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index

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Olympia, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,983

/mo nomad

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Olympia, WA is roughly 35% more expensive than in Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$26.70 £20.03

-8.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 $65.0

$85.8 £64.4

-24.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 $12.68

$8.14 £6.11

55.77%

Cappuccino

$6.42 $6.42

$4.98 £3.74

28.92%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$2.64 £1.98

10.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.97 £1.48

-14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$6.70 £5.03

2.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$6.58 £4.94

5.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.40 £1.05

-23.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.49 £1.12

199.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.34 £1.01

135.82%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.36 £2.52

49.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.35 $18.35

$8.31 £6.23

120.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$8.59 £6.44

21.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.73 $16.73

$11.39 £8.54

46.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.48 £2.61

50.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.20 £0.90

35.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.11 £2.33

27.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.65 £2.74

25.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.47 £1.10

77.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.16 £0.87

113.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.04 £0.78

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.35 £1.02

89.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.09 $12.09

$23.57 £17.68

-48.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$10.50 £7.88

41.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.18 £2.39

-22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.59 £2.69

-34.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 $0.87

$4.15 £3.12

-79.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.88 £2.91

29.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.71 £0.54

274.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.7 $51.7

$19.84 £14.89

160.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.06 £1.54

-33.98%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$38.6K £28.9K

-26.92%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.4K £30.3K

-32.84%

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

$156 $156

$304 £228

-48.73%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$17.07 £12.81

307.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.4 $95.4

$40.02 £30.02

138.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.1 $69.1

$26.70 £20.03

158.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.06 $5.06

$21.35 £16.01

-76.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 $12.09

$15.55 £11.66

-22.25%

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

$1,454 $1,454

$1,831 £1,373

-20.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K £15.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.13 $45.13

$115 £85.9

-60.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$58.6 £43.98

-6.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 $91.2

$84.9 £63.7

7.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$99.3 £74.5

3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 $1,718

$1,078 £809

59.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$854 £640

89.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,143 $3,143

$1,936 £1,453

62.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,350 $2,350

$1,426 £1,070

64.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,235 $3,235

$2,503 £1,878

29.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,068 $3,068

$1,220 £916

151.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,106 $5,106

$3,307 £2,481

54.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

4.88

39.55%

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

Last update for Olympia, WA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olympia, WA

$1.6K 54.2%

Lincoln

$854 38.7% 47.2% $764

Groceries & Markets

Olympia, WA

$420 14.1%

Lincoln

$276 12.5% 34.1% $143

Eating Out

Olympia, WA

$378 12.7%

Lincoln

$363 16.5% 4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olympia, WA

$321 10.8%

Lincoln

$361 16.4% 12.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Olympia, WA

$132 4.4%

Lincoln

$161 7.3% 21.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Olympia, WA

$93 3.1%

Lincoln

$58 2.6% 38% $35

Getting Around

Olympia, WA

$22 * 0.7%

Lincoln

$131 6% 501% $109

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 $1,718 in Olympia, WA and $1,078 in Lincoln. 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: $65.0 in Olympia, WA vs $86.0 in Lincoln. Groceries flip the comparison at $420 vs $276, with Lincoln cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Olympia, WA

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

04:09 4:09 AM

8 h ahead of Olympia, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,605

97,541

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Olympia, WA
Lincoln

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

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

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

Average pay runs 54% higher in Olympia, WA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $1,454 in Olympia, WA versus $1,831 in Lincoln. 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, Olympia, WA and Lincoln 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.