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Cost of living in Nashville, TN

Compared with New York. Change city

$1,143a month less for the typical home than in New York1,2

That's $13,717 a year, enough to cover 4 months of the mortgage in Nashville. The average commute is 9 minutes shorter each way, about 1.4 hours a week back4.

Typical home $533,995 vs $742,000. 2-bedroom rent3 $1,666 vs $1,997. See the math

By Sol Lakein.Checked October 2026.How we compare costs

Nashville skyline in the fall, NashvilleMatthew Jungling / Unsplash
All cities
  • Big-city lifeNFL and NHL teams; live music scene

Nashville at a glance, next to New York

5

What the median home costs each month

1,2
New York metro$4,078/mo
$742,000 typical home
Nashville$2,935/mo
$533,995 typical home

If you rent: median 2-bedroom

3
New York metro$1,997/mo
Nashville$1,666/mo
About $331 a month less in rent
Rent by apartment size in Nashville

Day-to-day costs

  • Housing costs65% pricier than averageNew York: 49% above
  • Salary that matches $150,000 in New York6$128,379
  • Net move-ins from other US metros, 2024-257+16,967
Nashville in a paragraph

The median listed home in Nashville is $533,995 (Realtor.com, September 2026), 27% above the US median of $419,250. With 20% down at 7.32%, principal and interest come to about $2,935 a month. The median 2-bedroom rent is $1,666 a month, utilities included (Census, 2025). Everyday prices index at 96.3, where the US average is 100 (BEA, 2024). A $150,000 salary in New York buys the same as $128,379 here.

Weather

9
  • 30.1°January low
  • 90.9°July high
  • 4.7 inSnow per year

Home prices next to New York

1
Typical home for sale
New York metro$742,000
Nashville$533,995
28% less, a $208,005 difference
Price per square foot
New York metro$494
Nashville$259
1.9 times the space for the money

Your New York, in Nashville

The places you use now, matched to their closest counterpart.

  • Big city park
    In New YorkCentral Park
    In NashvilleCentennial Park132 acres with a one-mile walking trail; opened to the public in 1903 after hosting the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition
  • Walking and biking trail
    In New YorkThe High Line and Hudson River Greenway
    In NashvilleShelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area960 acres with over 5 miles of paved ADA accessible trail and over 5 miles of primitive trail
  • Art museum
    In New YorkThe Met
    In NashvilleFrist Art MuseumAdults $20; guests 18 and younger free
  • Science museum
    In New YorkAmerican Museum of Natural History
    In NashvilleAdventure Science Center44,000 square feet with more than 175 hands-on exhibits and the Sudekum Planetarium
Show 5 more matches
  • Broadway and the symphony
    In New YorkBroadway and Lincoln Center
    In NashvilleTennessee Performing Arts Center (Jackson Hall) and Schermerhorn Symphony CenterJackson Hall: 2,472 seats; home of the Broadway at TPAC season; 505 Deaderick Street
  • Food hall
    In New YorkChelsea Market
    In NashvilleNashville Farmers' MarketMore than 30 restaurants and shops in the Market House food hall, plus two covered open-air farm sheds
  • Neighborhood main street
    In New YorkA Brooklyn neighborhood main street
    In Nashville12South (12th Avenue South)Half-mile stretch of 12th Avenue South from Wedgewood Avenue south to Sevier Park, with coffee houses, bakeries, bars and boutiques
  • Big-league arena
    In New YorkMadison Square Garden
    In NashvilleBridgestone ArenaSeats 17,159 for hockey; opened December 18, 1996 at 501 Broadway, at the corner of Broadway and 5th Avenue
  • Nature day trip
    In New YorkThe Hudson Valley
    In NashvilleNatchez Trace ParkwayNorthern terminus at Milepost 444, where the parkway meets Tennessee Highway 100 about 17 miles southwest of downtown Nashville

See how Nashville ranks for your household

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See how Nashville ranks for you

Is Nashville a good place to live?

Nashville fits families who want prices 4% below the US average and mild winters. The main trade-off is homes list 27% above the US median. Here is what you gain and what you give up.

What you gain

  • Prices 4% below the US averageEveryday prices, rent included, index at 96.3 against a US average of 100.BEA regional price parities, 2024
  • Mild wintersJanuary lows average 30.1°F with 4.7 inches of snow a year.NOAA 1991-2020 normals
  • Nonstop flights to New YorkFrom BNA to JFK, LGA, EWR.Airport route page, October 2026
  • People are moving in16,967 more people moved here from other US metros than left, July 2024 to July 2025.US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025

What you trade

  • Homes list 27% above the US median$533,995 median listing against $419,250 nationally.Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026
  • Hot summersJuly highs average 90.9°F.NOAA 1991-2020 normals

Is Nashville a good place to live? Read the full pros and cons

More on Nashville and Tennessee

Show 11 links

Nashville cost of living: questions people ask

What is the cost of living in Nashville, TN?

The median listed home in Nashville is $533,995 (Realtor.com, September 2026), 27% above the US median of $419,250. With 20% down at 7.32%, principal and interest come to about $2,935 a month. The median 2-bedroom rent is $1,666 a month, utilities included (Census, 2025). Everyday prices index at 96.3, where the US average is 100 (BEA, 2024). A $150,000 salary in New York buys the same as $128,379 here.

How much would I save moving from New York to Nashville?

The median listed home is $533,995 in Nashville against $742,000 in the New York metro, 28% less. On a mortgage for each median home, that is about $1,143 a month less in principal and interest (20% down, 7.32%, Freddie Mac, October 22, 2026).

How much is rent in Nashville?

The median gross rent for a 2-bedroom in the Nashville metro is $1,666 a month, including utilities the renter pays (Census American Community Survey, 2025). In the New York metro it is $1,997, $331 more. The US median is $1,563.

What salary in Nashville matches $150,000 in New York?

$128,379. That is $150,000 adjusted by the BEA regional price parities for both metros (96.3 in Nashville, 112.6 in New York, 2024).

Does Nashville pay you to move there?

None of the relocation incentive programs we track cover Nashville as of October 2026.

What is the weather like in Nashville?

January lows average 30.1°F and July highs 90.9°F, with 4.7 inches of snow a year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals, Nashville International Airport).

Notes on the numbers
  1. 1Home prices: the typical home is the median listing price, with price per square foot, from Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. The comparison metro uses the same series and month.
  2. 2Monthly cost: Principal and interest on the median listed home with 20% down, 30-year fixed at 7.32% (Freddie Mac 30-year fixed average, week of October 22, 2026). Excludes taxes, insurance and HOA. Rate source
  3. 3Rent: Census ACS 2025 1-year, median gross rent for 2-bedroom units (rent plus utilities). Covers all renters, including long-time tenants, not only new leases. Census table
  4. 4Commute: Census ACS 2025 1-year, table S0801, mean travel time to work (one way, workers who do not work from home), 2025. Hours back assume a 5-day round trip. Census table
  5. 5At a glance: a difference within 5% counts as about the same.
  6. 6Everyday prices, housing costs and the matching salary: BEA regional price parities, 2024, US = 100.
  7. 7Net move-ins: Census Vintage 2025, via Regions Financial.
  8. 8Flights: airport route pages, October 2026.
  9. 9Weather: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, Nashville International Airport.
Sources for this page