South ranking
18 Tennessee cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 78
Index 101
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingsport | 78 | $772/mo | $48,228 | 55K | Compare → |
| 2 | Jackson | 78 | $1,007/mo | $48,058 | 68K | Compare → |
| 3 | Cleveland | 79 | $922/mo | $52,468 | 48K | Compare → |
| 4 | Johnson City | 80 | $893/mo | $53,173 | 71K | Compare → |
| 5 | Clarksville | 85 | $1,119/mo | $62,688 | 168K | Compare → |
| 6 | Chattanooga | 86 | $1,066/mo | $57,703 | 181K | Compare → |
| 7 | Memphis | 87 | $1,050/mo | $48,090 | 630K | Compare → |
| 8 | Knoxville | 88 | $1,043/mo | $48,309 | 192K | Compare → |
| 9 | Collierville | 89 | $1,488/mo | $129,729 | 51K | Compare → |
| 10 | Bartlett | 89 | $1,492/mo | $94,603 | 57K | Compare → |
| 11 | Gallatin | 97 | $1,250/mo | $68,548 | 45K | Compare → |
| 12 | Murfreesboro | 97 | $1,272/mo | $70,451 | 153K | Compare → |
| 13 | Smyrna | 97 | $1,281/mo | $76,115 | 54K | Compare → |
| 14 | Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) | 98 | $1,392/mo | $71,328 | 684K | Compare → |
| 15 | Hendersonville | 98 | $1,407/mo | $86,954 | 62K | Compare → |
| 16 | Spring Hill | 99 | $1,688/mo | $104,880 | 51K | Compare → |
| 17 | Franklin | 99 | $1,785/mo | $106,592 | 84K | Compare → |
| 18 | Brentwood | 101 | $2,459/mo | $181,576 | 45K | Compare → |
If you're weighing a move to Tennessee, the case usually comes down to a few specific things — most clearly tennessee is on the affordable side of the country and real low-cost-of-living options exist here, plus 4 more. Here's the detail.
Averaged across the cities we have data for, Tennessee's composite cost-of-living index is about 90 — a comfortable 10% under the US norm. The cheapest cities in the state run even further below. Average median rent across Tennessee cities runs about $1,299/mo.
The cheapest city in Tennessee we have data for is Kingsport, sitting at a cost-of-living index of 78 — about 22% under the US average. If affordability is the priority, Tennessee gives you a real option, not a "well, this town is technically here" caveat.
Tennessee sits in the small club of US states with no income tax on wage and salary income. The savings versus a high-tax state can run to five figures a year for higher earners, and the math gets more interesting the longer you stay.
Median household income across Tennessee cities averages about $78,305 — a step above the US median of around $75k. Not a uniformly high-wage state, but the labor market here pays more than most of the country.
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) (population about 684,103) gives Tennessee a genuine major-city anchor. Big airports, headquartered employers, professional sports, specialty hospitals, and the kind of job market you don't get in mid-sized towns — and you can live close to it or an hour away, depending on the lifestyle you want.
We track 18 Tennessee cities with full cost data, ranging from small towns to major metros. That means you can actually pick a fit — urban density vs. small-town quiet, expensive vs. cheap, big-job-market vs. easier-commute — instead of having "the state's one big city" be your only option.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for Tennessee (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across Tennessee, Kingsport is the most affordable city we track (cost index 78, with median rent around $772/mo), while Brentwood sits at the top of the range with an index of 101—roughly 30% pricier than Kingsport. Use the table above to compare any Tennessee city directly against Kingsport.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.