Cost of Living in Tennessee: A Guide for Homebuyers

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If you’re considering moving to Tennessee, you might be curious about the cost of living in the Volunteer State and how it compares to your current residence.

This guide will cover the cost of living in Tennessee, from housing expenses to food and healthcare costs. We’ll provide data from state cost of living index tools, how Tennessee ranks in the nation for livability, and some common reasons why people relocate to and from the state.

We’ll also share a handy set of additional online resources to measure and compare the cost of living expenses in different Tennessee communities.

Yes, You Can Buy Before You Sell. Why Move Twice?

Through our Buy Before You Sell program, HomeLight can help you unlock a portion of your equity upfront to put toward your next home. You can then make a strong offer on your next home with no home sale contingency.

What makes up the ‘cost of living’ in Tennessee?

When you’re planning to live in a new state, the cost of living there will be a combination of expenses required to maintain your desired lifestyle. Statista, a leading market data platform, defines “cost of living” as “the monetary cost of goods and services necessary to maintaining a certain standard of living.”

This overall cost will vary significantly based on location, even within the state. But the core living expenses you’ll pay for typically include the following categories:

  • Housing (rent/mortgage)
  • Energy (utilities)
  • Food (groceries)
  • Transportation (vehicles or transit systems)
  • Healthcare (doctors, hospitals, etc.)

However, the costs often extend beyond these basics to cover other expenses, such as:

  • Clothing
  • Education
  • Childcare
  • Entertainment

However, your cost of living is primarily influenced by your income and debts, along with how this income compares to the costs of basic needs in the Tennessee city where you live — or want to live.

Let’s take a quick look at some ways you can compare your current living cost with what you might experience if you move to Tennessee.

What’s a Tennessee cost of living index (CLI)?

A cost of living index (CLI) monitors how these basic expenses evolve in different cities or regions. They provide a way to compare the price of maintaining a certain standard of living.

The CLI is calculated by assessing the price of essential goods and services such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation in different areas.

An index is typically standardized, with a base city or region assigned a baseline index value (often set at 100). Other cities or regions are then compared against this benchmark. For example, a Tennessee or city with a CLI of 120 would signify that living there is 20% more expensive than the base location, while an index of 80 indicates it’s 20% less expensive.

A cost of living index will typically break down and score each basic expense by category. Here are separate scores for Tennessee from the worldpopulationreview.com Cost of Living Index:

  • Groceries: 97.80
  • Housing: 82.90
  • Utilities: 93.20
  • Transportation: 90.00
  • Health: 88.10
  • Miscellaneous: 92.80

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