Lincoln sits on the northern edge of the Sacramento metropolitan area in Placer County. Its growth over the last decade has pushed housing demand upward with lots of people looking for homes for sale in Lincoln, CA. 

Local taxes, utility fees and California-level costs shape everyday budgets that buyers need to factor in. This article walks through the main cost categories you’ll face living in Lincoln, using recent local and federal data so you can see the trade-offs clearly.

Is It Expensive To Buy A Home In Lincoln?

Home prices in Lincoln have risen in recent years and remain above the national average for similarly sized cities. As of late 2025, commonly cited market metrics place Lincoln’s typical home value in the mid-$600,000s, reflecting steady appreciation through 2024 and 2025.

Mortgage costs matter more than list price alone. The 30-year fixed mortgage averaged about 6.24% in mid-November 2025, which raises monthly financing costs compared with the low-rate years earlier in the decade. When you combine typical down-payment scenarios with current rates, monthly payments on a median-priced Lincoln home are materially higher than they would have been a few years ago.

What is the Average Rent in Lincoln?

Rental asking prices in Lincoln are substantially above the national average. Zillow’s rental-market reporting shows an average asking rent near $2,800–$3,000 per month in late 2025, with variation by bedroom count and neighborhood. For budgeting, expect typical detached homes and larger townhouse rentals to push toward the higher end of that range.

Renter competition and inventory matter. Lincoln’s rental supply can tighten quickly when new subdivisions convert to short-term leasing, so rents can move faster than wages in some months. When modelling affordability, use local asking rents rather than older historical averages for the most realistic picture.

What Are The Taxes in Lincoln?

Lincoln follows California’s standard tax structure. The statewide sales tax is 7.25 percent, and Placer County adds local amounts that bring most Lincoln purchases to 8.25 percent. This rate applies to everyday retail spending in the city.

California income tax applies fully to Lincoln residents. For 2025, rates run from 1 percent to 12.3 percent, with most middle-income households landing in the 6 percent to 9.3 percent brackets. High-earners also pay the additional 1 percent Mental Health Services Tax on income above $1 million.

How High Are Property Taxes in Lincoln?

California’s Proposition 13 still anchors property tax calculations at roughly 1.00% of assessed value, with voter-approved local levies and special assessments added on top. For many Lincoln properties the total net tax rate reported for 2025/26 is around 1.0402 in typical tax rate areas inside the city, which means roughly $10,400 per $1,000,000 of assessed value, before any exemptions or special assessments.

That 1.04% number is a useful planning figure, but actual tax bills vary by property due to school bonds, special districts, and property-specific charges. If property tax is a major budget item for you, run a sample property through the Placer County tax lookup or your escrow estimate to see the exact levy for a given address.

What Are the Average Monthly Utility Bills in Lincoln?

Utilities in Lincoln reflect a mix of city-set water and wastewater charges and investor-owned electricity and gas rates for the broader region. The City of Lincoln updated utility rates effective July 1, 2025; a typical monthly water bill for a detached home (base charge plus modest usage and capital-recovery surcharges) commonly falls in the low-to-mid-$60 range, while wastewater charges add roughly $30–$40 per month for a standard residential equivalent unit depending on the exact rate area. Those two together commonly place water plus sewer around $90–$110 monthly for typical residential use.

Electricity and natural gas come from regional suppliers. PG&E’s published residential rate schedules and recent reporting show higher per-kWh rates than the national average and, as a result, average monthly electric bills in California households often exceed $200–$300 depending on season and usage; use your historical consumption to estimate a precise value. Expect higher summer or winter bills if you run air conditioning or electric heating.

How Much Should I Budget for Groceries in Lincoln?

National food-at-home cost benchmarks are useful as a baseline when building a local grocery budget. The USDA’s food plans (updated monthly) provide reference values: for example, the Thrifty Food Plan and the Low/Moderate/Liberal plans give per-person monthly cost estimates that were published through 2024 and updated in 2025 to reflect recent CPI changes. 

A single adult’s food-at-home cost on the Thrifty/Low end is roughly $240–$300 per month, while a four-person household ranges from about $1,000 (thrifty/low) into $1,100–$1,600 on the moderate to liberal plans, using September 2025 price levels. Use those USDA plan values as starting points and scale them to household size and local shopping preferences.

Local grocery prices in California tend to run above the national average, so if you typically buy branded items, specialty foods, or shop at premium stores, budget above the USDA moderate plan. If you use bulk buying, community markets or discount chains, you can keep close to the thriftier estimates.

How Much Does Transportation Cost in Lincoln?

Fuel is one clear and volatile line item. As of mid-November 2025 the California average regular gasoline price remained well above the national number; AAA and state fuel trackers are the best sources for the day-to-day figure when you budget for driving. Local daily travel habits; whether you commute to Roseville or Sacramento; will determine monthly fuel spending; a commuter who drives 40–50 miles round trip several days a week should expect fuel to be a meaningful monthly cost in Lincoln.

Public transit options exist. Placer County Transit operates the Lincoln circulator and commuter routes, with one-way fares around $1.25 and 24-hour passes available; commuter express services to downtown Sacramento run on set schedules. If transit or car-pooling can replace some driving in your household, you can reduce fuel, parking and wear-and-tear costs.

What is the Median Household Income in Lincoln, CA?

Community data aggregators that draw on the latest ACS estimates report Lincoln’s median household income around $108,000 in 2023 (the most recent ACS-based release commonly available in 2024–2025 reporting). That figure gives local context for housing affordability and helps explain why Lincoln’s housing and services costs run higher than many national averages.

What is the Recommended Income to Live In Lincoln?

Two simple budgeting scenarios help illustrate what “recommended” income looks like for different housing choices living in Lincoln, CA using late-2025 numbers:

• Renting: using an average rent near $2,895 per month (Zillow rental data, November 2025) and the standard budgeting rule that housing should not exceed 30% of gross income, you would need gross monthly income of about $9,650 or roughly $115,800 per year to keep rent at or below 30% of income.
  
  
• Buying: using a median sale price around $637,750 (Zillow/market metrics, late 2025), a 20% down payment, and a 30-year fixed rate near 6.24% (Freddie Mac, Nov 13, 2025), principal and interest on a typical mortgage will be in the low-$3,100s per month. Add monthly property tax and insurance (estimated together at roughly $700–$800), and total housing costs approach $3,800–$4,000 per month. At a 30% housing-cost threshold, that implies gross annual income in the roughly $150,000–$160,000 range for comfortable qualification without stretching other parts of the budget. These calculations depend strongly on down payment, interest rate and local tax assessments; use them as illustrative guidance rather than exact underwriting.
  
  

How Does the Cost of Living in Lincoln Compare to the National Average?

Multiple cost-of-living indexes show Lincoln running noticeably higher than the U.S. average, largely because housing is the dominant factor. BestPlaces’ cost index and other calculators place Lincoln well above 100 on the index scale, with overall living costs roughly 35–40% higher than the national baseline in recent snapshots; PayScale and other comparison tools show similar spreads driven by housing and California-wide energy and tax policies. Expect discretionary budgets; dining, services and some retail purchases; to feel pricier than many interior-U.S. locales.

Local wages, however, trend higher than some national peers, and Lincoln’s median household income is well above the national median. That partial offset matters; it is why some residents find Lincoln affordable relative to coastal Bay Area markets, but still more expensive than many Midwestern or Southern cities.

FAQs

How much should I expect to pay per month for utilities in a typical three-bed home in Lincoln?

For a typical three-bed detached home, plan on roughly $90–$110 monthly for combined water and sewer under the city’s 2025 rate schedule, plus electricity bills that can run $200–$350 depending on season and usage. Internet and trash service will add another $50–$100 depending on provider and collection schedules. Use your prior bills or ask the utility provider for a usage estimate to refine this for your household.

Do Lincoln property tax bills include school and special district levies?

Yes. California property tax bills start with the base 1.00% under Proposition 13 and then add voter-approved bonds and special district assessments. In many Lincoln tax rate areas the total net levy reported for 2025/26 is about 1.0402, but property-level bills vary. Check the Placer County property tax lookup for exact property charges.

Are grocery prices in Lincoln higher than the national average?

Grocery prices in Lincoln are influenced by California price levels and regional supply chains. Use USDA food plan estimates as a baseline; the Thrifty Food Plan and the Low/Moderate plans published in 2025; and expect local grocery bills to run modestly above national averages, especially for branded or specialty items.

Can I rely on public transit for a commuter trip to Sacramento from Lincoln?

Placer County Transit provides commuter and local routes linking Lincoln with regional hubs, including commuter options to downtown Sacramento; fares are modest and schedules are published by the county operator. For most daily commuters a car or car-pool remains common, but transit is a practical option for some work schedules and reduces fuel costs when it fits your timetable.

How should I use median household income when deciding whether Lincoln is affordable for me?

Median household income is a starting point to understand local purchasing power; Lincoln’s median (about $108,000 in 2023 ACS-based reporting) shows local incomes are above national medians, which helps explain demand for higher-value housing. Compare your household’s gross income to the illustrative rent and mortgage scenarios above to see which housing choices fit without squeezing other budget areas.

Where can I find current daily gasoline prices and housing listings?

For daily gasoline prices use AAA or state fuel trackers; for housing, use live market feeds such as Zillow or local MLS summaries for the most current asking prices and rents. Those sources update frequently and are the best way to refine short-term budgets before a move.