Omaha

Omaha, NE Area Guide

Urban sophistication blends with agricultural charm in the Corn Belt

Airport Entertainment Historic Agriculture Musical River

Rising out of the prairies and cornfields of the heartland, Omaha serves as a cultural wellspring and economic powerhouse for the region. Downtown has seen a lot of development in recent years, and now serves up a huge selection of trendy shopping, dining, and entertainment, particularly around the Old Market; the Blackstone neighborhood has also emerged as a new hotspot for adventurous restauranteurs and hip nightlife. The robust live music scene in Omaha is one of the city’s worst-kept secrets, with national publications singing the praises of popular venues like the Waiting Room and the annual Maha Music Festival at Stinson Park.

Omaha is serious about college sports – the University of Nebraska’s Cornhuskers are hometown heroes, and the city is the longtime home to the College World Series every summer. For more relaxing downtime, soak in views of the Missouri River (and wave to Council Bluffs, Iowa) from Heartland of America Park, or pack up your picnic basket and head over to Standing Bear reservoir.

Explore the City

The Omaha skyline

The historic Flatiron Hotel was built in 1912

Tree-filled park in Omaha

The Western Meadowlark is the Nebraska state bird

Rent Trends

As of March 2026, the average apartment rent in Omaha, NE is $1,014 for a studio, $1,107 for one bedroom, $1,414 for two bedrooms, and $1,688 for three bedrooms. Apartment rent in Omaha has increased by 2.1% in the past year.

Property Type
Average Rent
Average Sq Ft
Apartment
$1,107/month
734 Sq Ft
House
$1,993/month
1,416 Sq Ft
Condo
$1,104/month
731 Sq Ft
Townhome
$2,196/month
1,248 Sq Ft
See Rental Market Trends in Omaha, NE

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Omaha, NE is 10.2% lower than the national average. Generally, housing in Omaha is 19.6% less expensive than the national average, with rent falling between $1,014 - $1,688. You can expect to pay 0.4% less for groceries, 15.2% less for utilities, and 10.1% less for transportation.

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Getting Around

Explore how walkable, bikeable, drivable, and transit-friendly Omaha, NE is for everyday living.

Somewhat Walkable

56 / 100

You might be able to get out and walk when living in this area. Some errands can be accomplished on foot, but for others you’ll need a car.

Some Transit

24 / 100

You'll likely want a car when living in this area since it has few transit options.

Bikeable

49 / 100

While there’s some bike infrastructure in this area, you’ll still need a car for many errands.

Schools

Skyline Elementary School

Public

Grades PK-5

Hillrise Elementary School

Public

Grades PK-5

Wheeler Elementary School

Public

Grades PK-5

Aspen Creek Middle School

Public

Grades 6-8

Valley View Middle School

Public

Grades 6-8

Beadle Middle School

Public

Grades 6-8

Elkhorn Middle School

Public

Grades 6-8

Elkhorn South High School

Public

Grades 9-12

Millard West High School

Public

Grades 9-12

Elkhorn High School

Public

Grades 9-12

Millard North High School

Public

Grades 9-12

Central High School

Public

Grades 9-12

Points of Interest

Parks and Recreation

  • Glenn Cunningham Lake
  • Omaha Children's Museum
  • Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
  • Lauritzen Gardens
  • Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Military Bases

Airports

  • Eppley Airfield

Top Apartments in Omaha

Houses for Rent in Omaha

Property Management Companies in Omaha, NE

Living in Omaha

Transportation

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Transportation is an obvious concern when living in an area this widespread. The city of Omaha covers over 130 square miles. Omaha remains connected to a number of interstates, making car travel the popular mode of transportation. Omaha sits along Interstate 80, which allows for connections to the Highway 50, US 275/NE 92 and Interstates 680 and 480/75.

Omaha sponsors public transportation options, as well. There are plans to build a light rail system at some point in the future, but for now, residents can take advantage of the Omaha Metro bus system. Omaha is surrounded by a series of waterways, too. The Riverfront Marina in Downtown Omaha and Levi Carter Park both allow for water travel. The River City Star is a paddleboat that moves between Omaha and Council Bluffs along the Missouri River.

Eppley Airfield hosts the air travel in the region. Eppley is a medium-sized hub that handles around 80 flights a day. It sits on the west side of the Missouri River, meaning people coming from downtown Omaha have to cross state lines into Iowa and circle back to get to the airport. Eppley manages three separate terminals and hosts most of the major airlines.

Shopping

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Omaha is a big city, so the shopping opportunities are vast. The city offers malls, outlet stores and quaint streets full of boutiques and art galleries. Westroads Mall, located just off Interstate 680, is the largest shopping venue. Westroads caters to restaurants and typical “mall” businesses such as Old Navy and JcPenney. There is a movie theater inside the structure, as well.

Shadow Lake Towne Center in the South of Metro region of Omaha is an outdoor mall that features both mainstream shopping sites like Bed, Bath and Beyond and boutique stores such as Charming Charlie. Omaha’s Old Market is a major retail space located Downtown. The Old Market offers warehouses converted into trendy restaurants, shops and art galleries.

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Methodology

† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.

Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.

Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in February 2026.