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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The #1 spot goes to Memphis, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,234/month — saving renters $7,932 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 72, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 9…
#1 Ranked: Memphis — cost index 72, rent $1,234/mo, income $51,211
Memphis is a clear outlier at index 72
Singles scoring: rent $1,234/mo (solo housing), cost index 72, population 618,639 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis | 72 | $1,234 | Details |
| 2 | Chattanooga | 88 | $1,499 | Details |
| 3 | Clarksville | 80 | $1,376 | Details |
| 4 | Murfreesboro | 98 | $1,683 | Details |
| 5 | Nashville | 103 | $1,772 | Details |
| 6 | Knoxville | 100 | $1,708 | Details |
The #1 spot goes to Memphis, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,234/month — saving renters $7,932 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 72, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 94. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone. I'll say what the data can't: this city punches above its weight in ways that don't show up in a spreadsheet. There's a reason people who move here tend to stay. You can call it quality of life, you can call it vibes, whatever — the point is, the cost structure gives people room to actually enjoy where they live, and that's increasingly rare in this country.
Single-income living means absorbing 100% of housing costs. Our model weights rent under $1,300 (20pts), cost of living (15pts), and city population (10pts) — because a social scene matters when you're on your own. Memphis at $1,234/mo in a city of 618,639 hits the right balance. Chattanooga offers a larger city as a runner-up.
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 6 cities across Tennessee on rent, cost of living, and population. Memphis ($1,234/mo, 618,639 residents) ranks #1.
But the numbers also reveal: Here's the state-level backdrop: Tennessee averages a 90 cost index, $1,545/mo — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — rent, and $63,576 income across 6 cities. That's $350 less than the national rent average. No income tax, Nashville boom, and Memphis blues — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
The gap here is wider than it has any right to be: Memphis is a clear outlier at index 72. #1-ranked Memphis has a cost index 16 points lower than the top-5 average of 88. That's not a marginal lead — it's a category of its own. This is quietly one of the better values out there.
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.
618,639 residents · Tennessee
A closer look at Memphis: the cost index of 72 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Housing index of 72 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 94 (weakest). Median rent is $1,234/month — 35% below the national median — while household income sits at $51,211, meaning locals spend about 29% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
187,030 residents · Tennessee
Dive into Chattanooga's numbers: cost index 88 (23 points below national average), rent $1,499/month, income $61,028, and a home price of $314,306. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 88, while Healthcare runs 98. With 187,030 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
180,716 residents · Tennessee
In plain English: a closer look at Clarksville: the cost index of 80 breaks down to a Housing index of 80 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 96 (weakest). Median rent is $1,376/month — 27% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,786, meaning locals spend about 25% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
165,430 residents · Tennessee
Here's Murfreesboro by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And on balance, cost index: 98. Rent: $1,683/month. Income: $76,241/year. Home price: $421,928. Population: 165,430. The strongest category is Housing at 98; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,544 per year vs. the national median. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most.
687,788 residents · Tennessee
Real talk: Nashville comes in at #5. Rent is $1,772 a month. Household income is $75,197. The cost of living index is 103. That's more or less in line with the region.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to singles. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Tennessee by this personalized metric. 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.
Memphis ranks #1 in Tennessee for this analysis with a cost index of 72 and median income of $51,211.
Memphis scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,234/mo, and competitive median income of $51,211.
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.
Memphis (ranked #1) has a cost index of 72 and rent of $1,234/mo, while Knoxville (ranked #6) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,708/mo — a 28-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 Memphis is $1,234/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $661 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Memphis is $142,870, which is 2.8× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. 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.