Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Murfreesboro's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Murfreesboro?
Your $100,000 in Murfreesboro has the same purchasing power as $102,648 in the average US city. You'd need $2,648 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Murfreesboro's cost index of 97, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Murfreesboro? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: tennessee doesn't tax your paycheck and safer than the typical us city, plus 2 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Living in Murfreesboro means no state income tax on your salary — Tennessee is one of nine states that simply doesn't have one. On a $100k income that's typically thousands of dollars a year that stay in your account instead of going to a state revenue department.
Murfreesboro reports about 2,568 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Murfreesboro's air quality index averages about 43 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
40% of adults 25 and over in Murfreesboro hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Murfreesboro's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Now and then. Murfreesboro's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 35°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. Murfreesboro's winter average of about 35°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Murfreesboro averages about 91°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
Murfreesboro falls in roughly USDA Zone 9. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Murfreesboro is at about 568 feet (173 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Murfreesboro's reported crime rate of about 2,568 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Roughly average. Murfreesboro's cost-of-living index is 97, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Mostly car-dependent. Murfreesboro's Walk Score of 26/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $68,194 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Murfreesboro runs about $1,272/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.