Cost Of Living in Brainard, NE

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15%

Overall NAT. AVG.

4%

Groceries NAT. AVG.

43%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: These cost of living estimates reflect 2026 modeled data using U.S. Census housing inputs and AI-assisted city-level pricing models.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living score is 90, then the estimated cost of living is 10% lower than the national average. If the score is 110, then the estimated cost of living is 10% higher than average. The overall index is calculated using weighted estimates across major everyday expense categories, including housing (30%), groceries (16%), transportation (12%), healthcare (10%), utilities (8%), lifestyle and entertainment (8%), household expenses (8%), and education and childcare (8%). All values are AI-assisted city-level estimates designed for directional comparisons.
Index	Brainard	Nebraska	National
Cost of living	85	91	100
Groceries	96	97	100
Health care	96	98	100
Housing	57	76	100
Transportation	102	99	100
Utilities	96	96	100
Lifestyle & Entertainment	97	97	100
Household Items	95	98	100
Education & Childcare	96	96	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Brainard is 7% lower than the Nebraska average
The cost of living in Brainard is 15% lower than the national average
Brainard housing is 43% lower than the national average
Nebraska general sales tax is 8% higher than the national average
Nebraska state income tax is 5% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index
Lifestyle index
Household index
Educare index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$105,276	$8,773	$2,456	$3,159
Renters	$49,383	$4,115	$1,152	$1,482

Nebraska Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Nebraska	5.5%	7.5%

Nebraska Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Nebraska	2.46%	6.64%

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Ulysses, NE	166	77	23.0%
Abie, NE	46	78	21.9%
Garrison, NE	35	78	21.8%
Octavia, NE	172	79	21.0%
Prague, NE	329	80	19.9%
Brainard, NE	430	85	15.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Victor, CA	430	131	30.6%
Newdale, ID	430	103	2.9%
Wykoff, MN	430	88	12.1%
High Falls, NY	430	104	4.1%
Lone Wolf, OK	430	78	21.6%
Brainard, NE	430	85	15.0%