Is Tennessee America's Best Value?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#13

13th out of 50 states overall.

Above average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#10

10th cheapest state, about 15% below average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $63,600 here.

How we measure cost ›

Tennessee ranks 13th of 50 states for overall quality of life and 10th for affordability. It does best on climate, economy, and cost, and struggles most with air quality, healthcare, and safety. A typical household earns about $63,200 a year, and the cost of living runs about 15% below average.

Why Tennessee ranks #13 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how Tennessee scores on each, best to worst.

Climate
#6 of 50
Economy
#9 of 50
Cost of living
#10 of 50
Green space
#22 of 50
Dog friendly
#26 of 50
Walkability
#31 of 50
Education
#35 of 50
Air quality
#37 of 50
Healthcare
#44 of 50
Safety
#45 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

Tennessee at a glance

Typical household income

$63,200

40th highest

Typical home price

$322,000

28th highest

Overall cost of living

15% below average

10th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 6%

42nd highest income tax

Typical commute

About 26 min

one way

Taxes in Tennessee

See your real Tennessee take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after Tennessee taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.