Knoxville vs Nashville Cost of Living
Nashville is approximately 7.6% more expensive than Knoxville. See salary equivalence, taxes, and side-by-side breakdown.
Knoxville, TN
Nashville, TN
| Salary in Knoxville | Equivalent in Nashville | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $53,800 | +$3,800 (+7.6%) |
| $75,000 | $80,700 | +$5,700 (+7.6%) |
| $100,000 | $107,600 | +$7,600 (+7.6%) |
| $150,000 | $161,400 | +$11,400 (+7.6%) |
| $200,000 | $215,200 | +$15,200 (+7.6%) |
Nashville is roughly 8% more expensive overall, and housing is doing almost all of the work: a one-bedroom runs $1,150 in Knoxville against $1,500 in Nashville.
Housing does most of the damage
Strip out housing and most US metros cost about the same. Housing is where the difference lives. A one-bedroom runs about $1,150 a month in Knoxville and $1,500 in Nashville — $350 a month apart, or $4,200 a year.
Ownership widens the gap. $320,000 buys the median home in Knoxville; $460,000 does in Nashville. The down payment alone differs by roughly $28,000, and that is before Tennessee and Tennessee property tax rates diverge.
Work, weather, and what else is different
Knoxville is a smaller metro of about 0.9M and growing steadily; Nashville is a large metro of about 2.1M and growing fast.
Different economies entirely: higher education/research, healthcare, manufacturing drive Knoxville, with University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (nearby) among the anchors, against healthcare management, music/entertainment, finance in Nashville where HCA Healthcare (HQ) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center dominate. Treat this as a career move as much as a relocation.
Weather is not a rounding error when you actually live somewhere. Knoxville: January highs near 48°F/lows near 30°F; July highs near 87°F/lows near 68°F, humid. Nashville: Humid subtropical climate: January lows near 32°F, July highs near 90°F with high humidity.
Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, one of the lowest overall tax burdens among mid-size US metros, and sits at the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the US. No state income tax; HCA Healthcare's headquarters and dozens of healthcare-management firms have made Nashville the effective back-office capital of the US hospital industry.
Overall cost ratios come from BEA Regional Price Parities. Housing figures track published market data and local tax rates come from the municipalities themselves. How these are compiled and updated.
Related tools
Paycheck calculator — take-home after federal, state and local tax. Salary calculator — hourly and annual conversion. Mortgage calculator — what a home in either metro actually costs monthly. Guide: the true cost of relocating.