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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 6 of 6 cities in Tennessee beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Nashville stands out at 103 on the index, with rent of $1,772/month and household income of $75,197. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
687,788 residents · Tennessee
Dive into Nashville's numbers: cost index 103 (8 points below national average), rent $1,772/month, income $75,197, and a home price of $429,861. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 101, while Housing runs 103. As a major city with 687,788 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
198,162 residents · Tennessee
Dive into Knoxville's numbers: cost index 100 (11 points below national average), rent $1,708/month, income $50,994, and a home price of $363,688. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 100, while Healthcare runs 100. With 198,162 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
165,430 residents · Tennessee
The #3 spot goes to Murfreesboro, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,683/month — saving renters $2,544 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 98, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 100. A 26% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
187,030 residents · Tennessee
Here's Chattanooga by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 88. Rent: $1,499/month. Income: $61,028/year. Home price: $314,306. Population: 187,030. The strongest category is Housing at 88; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,752 per year vs. the national median. That's an underrated factor in the decision.
180,716 residents · Tennessee
Dive into Clarksville's numbers: cost index 80 (31 points below national average), rent $1,376/month, income $66,786, and a home price of $316,024. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 80, while Healthcare runs 96. With 180,716 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Nashville — cost index 103, rent $1,772/mo, income $75,197
6 of 6 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville | 103 | $1,772 | Details |
| 2 | Knoxville | 100 | $1,708 | Details |
| 3 | Murfreesboro | 98 | $1,683 | Details |
| 4 | Chattanooga | 88 | $1,499 | Details |
| 5 | Clarksville | 80 | $1,376 | Details |
| 6 | Memphis | 72 | $1,234 | Details |
The numbers are clear: 6 of 6 cities in Tennessee beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Nashville stands out at 103 on the index, with rent of $1,772/month and household income of $75,197. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The #1 spot goes to Nashville, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,772/month — saving renters $1,476 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 101, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 103. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.
Cities with the highest rents in Tennessee are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Nashville ranks #1 in Tennessee for this analysis with a cost index of 103 and median income of $75,197.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Nashville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 103 and rent of $1,772/mo, while Memphis (ranked #6) has a cost index of 72 and rent of $1,234/mo — a 31-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Nashville is $1,772/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $123 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Nashville is $429,861, which is 5.7× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Tennessee has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.55%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.56%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.