Living in Grand Island, NE
Small city in Nebraska
Grand Island is a small city in Nebraska, home to about 53,000 people, with 105,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Grand Island a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $268k and rents for $1,530 a month
- Mild summers: highs around 86°F
- Low natural disaster risk: 7 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Strong healthcare: 1 top-rated (4–5★) hospital within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 105,000 people live within 31 mi
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer graduates: 21% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Grand Island ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Grand Island: common questions
What is the cost of living in Grand Island?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $268k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,530 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 87, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Grand Island?
Nebraska collects about $1,109 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.4% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Grand Island safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Grand Island?
Grand Island has cold winters: winter days average around 39°F and summer days around 86°F, with roughly 28″ of snow a year.
Does Grand Island get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding and tornadoes: 7 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.88 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Grand Island?
The nearest major airport is OMA, about 131 mi away.
How Grand Island scores
Each bar compares Grand Island with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Grand Island right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.