You might think Tennessee cities are all about high-end country music stars and expensive real estate. But let’s clear up that misconception.
Many of the cities in Tennessee offer a low cost of living, making them some of the most affordable places around.
From the vibrant streets of Nashville to the soulful corners of Memphis, the Volunteer State offers an array of cheap places to live that won’t have you breaking your piggy bank.
Our methodology for identifying Tennessee’s cheapest places to live is straightforward. We use Saturday Night Science and Census data to consider multiple factors, including median home prices, average rent costs, and incomes. After comparing 97 cities, we arrived at this affordable list.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 most affordable places to live in Tennessee
What is the most affordable city in Tennessee for 2025? The most affordable city in Tennessee is La Follette.
Now grab yourself a slice of pecan pie and some Tennessee Whiskey, and read on to learn more about the cheapest places to live in Tennessee.
Check out some more reading about Tennessee and the cheapest places in the country:
The 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Tennessee For 2025
/10
Population: 7,308
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 75
Median Income: $34,678
Median Home Price: $106,000
Median Rent: $690
La Follette, located in Tennessee, is a city that offers an affordable cost of living for its residents. With a median home value of $106,000 and a median rent of $690, La Follette provides reasonable housing options for those looking to settle down.
LaFollette is a vibrant city that seamlessly blends growth and modern amenities with its small-town charm. LaFollette provides a delightful mix of mountainous landscapes, a nearby lake, and a forty-five-minute commute to Knoxville. Whether you’re a visitor or a potential resident, LaFollette welcomes you to experience its unique appeal and hopes you’ll choose to make it your home.
More on La Follette: Data
/10
Population: 5,510
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 77
Median Income: $37,867
Median Home Price: $132,100
Median Rent: $725
Rockwood is not only our second most affordable city in The Volunteer State, the locals call it “The Place to be in Tennessee.” And that, folks, is because of the great people that live here and the fact that they are the 32nd most affordable place to buy a home.
Located just off the 40 along the Clinch River, Rockwood is a must see for anyone looking to relocate to Tennessee.
More on Rockwood: Data
/10
Population: 11,732
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 78
Median Income: $41,458
Median Home Price: $158,100
Median Rent: $768
Lawrenceburg claimed the third place on our list of the cheapest cities in Tennessee. Located in the southern region of the state, its low $158,100 average home price and competitive $768 average rent rank 18th and 23rd respectively within Tennessee.
The city’s overall cost of living at 78 falls below the national and state average. Shiloh National Military Park is near Lawrenceburg for free fun to keep your wallet full.
More on Lawrenceburg: Data
I’m mighty proud to be from Lawrenceburg, The Dimple of the Universe. Best place in Tennessee. And by the way, those who don’t know where Hohenwald is…. it’s only about an hour away. Pulaski is maybe 20 minutes away. One more thing….. don’t mess with us!
/10
Population: 629,063
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 80
Median Income: $51,211
Median Home Price: $157,100
Median Rent: $1,123
Memphis, a major city in the southwest corner of Tennessee, ranks as the fourth most affordable city in the state. Thanks to an overall cost of living index of 80 that sits well below the state average. With a $157,100 average home price, housing is 20 less than average in Tennessee.
That makes Bluff City a beacon for budget-conscious buyers,
More on Memphis: Data
I like the convenience of living in the up town area of Memphis. its close to many restaurants and venues and the house I have is fairly new. the problem with Memphis is that no matter where you live, theres a slum area nearby. you can be driving through a neighborhood with upscale housing and clean streets and all of a sudden there’s an area that definitely on the downgrade with abandoned houses, prostitutes, and trash laden streets.
wonderful music events and great food venues.
/10
Population: 7,799
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 80
Median Income: $42,873
Median Home Price: $111,300
Median Rent: $757
Humboldt, north of I-40 near Jackson, ranks as the fifth most affordable city with living costs 11.1% below the state average and average home prices ranking second lowest in the state. A typical home in Humboldt costs approximately $111,300.
Renters benefit from Humboldt’s $42,873 average income to with $757 average rent.
More on Humboldt: Data
I have lived in Tennessee for 46 years and I love it growing up in a small town where everyone knows your name knows who your parents are and always looking out for each other and being true neighbors. I live 45 mins from Humboldt it is a nice town I have 2 nephews and great nieces that live there
/10
Population: 6,021
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 80
Median Income: $42,183
Median Home Price: $162,500
Median Rent: $737
Harriman, located in eastern Tennessee 45 minutes from Knoxville, is the sixth cheapest city in Tennessee with a cost of living index at 80. The city’s 6,021 residents appreciate a housing market with average costs 31% below the state average.
The TVA Wetland Viewing Area and Trails and Kingston City Park offer free things to do on the weekends.
More on Harriman: Data
/10
Population: 5,184
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 80
Median Income: $45,274
Median Home Price: $202,600
Median Rent: $663
Madisonville is loosely a Knoxville suburb about an hour south between Knoxville and Chattanooga. Madisonville is the seventh cheapest city in the Volunteer State. It’s easy to save money when home prices are $202,600 and the overall cost of living sits at 80, 11.1% lower than the Tennessee average.
Madisonville’s average income comes in at $45,274 per the latest Census and because the cost of living is so low, you’ll save more of it for weekend trips to Conasauga Falls Trail or Memphis In May International Festival.
More on Madisonville: Data
/10
Population: 11,040
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 81
Median Income: $45,523
Median Home Price: $138,400
Median Rent: $732
You might want to have a job before you choose the eighth most affordable place to live in Tennessee, Union City. The unemployment rate here is way above the national average.
But, don’t let this scare you. You’d be doing yourself a favor if you moved to the UC because this city has a lot to offer. Discovery Park of America is located here and some of the best Tennessee BBQ at Bad Bob’s BBQ.
More on Union City: Data
/10
Population: 9,634
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 81
Median Income: $39,488
Median Home Price: $119,700
Median Rent: $737
Another Memphis suburb, Brownsville ranks as the ninth cheapest place in the state. It’s an hour or so north of Memphis, halfway to Nashville.
The overall cost of living index of 81 includes low index values for utilities, services, and healthcare. The Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge provides affordable outdoor fun for the family.
More on Brownsville: Data
/10
Population: 8,612
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 81
Median Income: $43,512
Median Home Price: $163,900
Median Rent: $910
In Tipton County, you’ll find the tenth cheapest city in the state – Covington. It just made it onto the list with a manageable 81 overall cost of living index 9 points lower than the state average.
The home price to income ratio of 3.77 places 5best statewide. That means you have more of your income to spend on quality ingredients for hot fried chicken and BBQ.
More on Covington: Data
I am from Covington, TN. I am extremely proud of where I was raised because it made a humble man with intentions of building the community.
Cheapest places to live in Tennessee FAQs
The county in Tennessee with the lowest cost of living is Carroll County. The average living wage in Carroll County is $73,333 according to MIT data. Carroll County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to Tennessee as a whole. Childcare costs $10,572 a year in Carroll County for two children compared to the Tennessee average of $12,473. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $7,956 per year in Carroll County compared to $10,853 on average in Tennessee.
The cost of living in Tennessee is 12.2% lower than the US average. According to MIT, the required living wage for a family of four with two working parents in Tennessee is $78,800 vs the national average for a family of four with two working parents of $89,744. The median income of a Tennessee household is $54,833.
The cheapest housing market in Tennessee is Humboldt. The average home value in Humboldt is $84,600, the lowest in the state. The average home value in Tennessee is $177,600, almost 2.1 times higher than Humboldt.
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Volunteer State for 2025
Determining affordability for places in Tennessee boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 for Tennessee using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in Tennessee to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 97 places in Tennessee that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in Tennessee with the lowest cost of living according to the data is La Follette.
We updated this article for 2025. This report reflects our tenth time ranking the cheapest places to live in Tennessee.
Tennessee Affordabilility Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in Tennessee for 2025, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Tennessee.
The cheapest cities in Tennessee are La Follette, Rockwood, Lawrenceburg, Memphis, Humboldt, Harriman, Madisonville, Union City, Brownsville, and Covington.
Here’s a look at the most expensive cities in Tennessee according to the data:
- Brentwood
- Thompson’s Station
- Nolensville
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
Cheapest Places To Live In Tennessee
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Follette | 7,308 | 75 | $34,678 | $106,000 | $690 |
| 2 | Rockwood | 5,510 | 77 | $37,867 | $132,100 | $725 |
| 3 | Lawrenceburg | 11,732 | 78 | $41,458 | $158,100 | $768 |
| 4 | Memphis | 629,063 | 80 | $51,211 | $157,100 | $1,123 |
| 5 | Humboldt | 7,799 | 80 | $42,873 | $111,300 | $757 |
| 6 | Harriman | 6,021 | 80 | $42,183 | $162,500 | $737 |
| 7 | Madisonville | 5,184 | 80 | $45,274 | $202,600 | $663 |
| 8 | Union City | 11,040 | 81 | $45,523 | $138,400 | $732 |
| 9 | Brownsville | 9,634 | 81 | $39,488 | $119,700 | $737 |
| 10 | Covington | 8,612 | 81 | $43,512 | $163,900 | $910 |
| 11 | Pulaski | 8,305 | 81 | $45,420 | $168,200 | $802 |
| 12 | Lexington | 7,943 | 81 | $49,253 | $173,200 | $758 |
| 13 | Savannah | 7,219 | 81 | $41,396 | $163,100 | $757 |
| 14 | McKenzie | 5,706 | 81 | $35,988 | $140,200 | $669 |
| 15 | Bolivar | 5,171 | 81 | $38,575 | $136,000 | $827 |
| 16 | Knoxville | 193,721 | 82 | $50,994 | $214,000 | $1,116 |
| 17 | Paris | 10,313 | 82 | $39,365 | $142,700 | $763 |
| 18 | Ripley | 7,718 | 82 | $39,047 | $152,200 | $745 |
| 19 | Newport | 6,881 | 82 | $40,096 | $124,300 | $780 |
| 20 | Sweetwater | 6,462 | 82 | $44,661 | $166,000 | $625 |
| 21 | Dyersburg | 16,075 | 83 | $51,846 | $170,900 | $759 |
| 22 | McMinnville | 13,765 | 83 | $43,348 | $147,200 | $756 |
| 23 | Bristol | 27,490 | 84 | $55,007 | $182,500 | $764 |
| 24 | Lewisburg | 12,607 | 84 | $52,634 | $183,400 | $859 |
| 25 | Martin | 10,864 | 84 | $41,510 | $177,700 | $808 |
| 26 | Lenoir City | 10,681 | 84 | $60,480 | $214,300 | $913 |
| 27 | Milan | 8,194 | 84 | $45,608 | $121,400 | $802 |
| 28 | Henderson | 6,349 | 84 | $57,727 | $130,100 | $725 |
| 29 | Dunlap | 5,546 | 84 | $38,666 | $148,300 | $890 |
| 30 | Shelbyville | 24,125 | 85 | $52,290 | $224,700 | $935 |
| 31 | Millington | 11,117 | 85 | $51,695 | $172,800 | $1,059 |
| 32 | Dayton | 7,191 | 85 | $56,692 | $152,200 | $807 |
| 33 | Lafayette | 5,643 | 85 | $44,924 | $189,800 | $847 |
| 34 | Ashland City | 5,318 | 85 | $73,921 | $259,900 | $1,333 |
| 35 | Kingsport | 55,807 | 86 | $50,436 | $203,000 | $843 |
| 36 | Columbia | 43,971 | 86 | $61,204 | $261,700 | $1,092 |
| 37 | Greeneville | 15,531 | 86 | $51,516 | $210,700 | $680 |
| 38 | Portland | 13,325 | 86 | $72,380 | $256,400 | $1,100 |
| 39 | Manchester | 12,651 | 86 | $55,019 | $215,700 | $897 |
| 40 | Crossville | 12,265 | 86 | $50,672 | $230,300 | $827 |
| 41 | Alcoa | 11,635 | 86 | $60,049 | $232,300 | $1,057 |
| 42 | Clinton | 10,141 | 86 | $64,005 | $204,700 | $858 |
| 43 | Church Hill | 7,057 | 86 | $69,433 | $192,600 | $1,041 |
| 44 | Fayetteville | 7,037 | 86 | $50,890 | $191,100 | $753 |
| 45 | Kingston | 6,042 | 86 | $70,532 | $204,200 | $699 |
| 46 | Morristown | 30,983 | 87 | $44,811 | $155,700 | $855 |
| 47 | East Ridge | 22,034 | 87 | $55,988 | $182,500 | $1,112 |
| 48 | Sevierville | 18,105 | 87 | $55,106 | $264,000 | $1,000 |
| 49 | Soddy-Daisy | 13,117 | 87 | $67,824 | $241,400 | $996 |
| 50 | Red Bank | 11,960 | 87 | $61,788 | $246,100 | $1,118 |
| 51 | Jefferson City | 8,472 | 87 | $53,819 | $205,000 | $832 |
| 52 | Erwin | 6,001 | 87 | $45,422 | $165,100 | $602 |
| 53 | Mount Carmel | 5,504 | 87 | $71,336 | $179,700 | $804 |
| 54 | Cleveland | 48,185 | 88 | $55,904 | $241,800 | $966 |
| 55 | Dickson | 16,246 | 88 | $69,074 | $263,100 | $999 |
| 56 | Athens | 14,250 | 88 | $53,151 | $197,300 | $807 |
| 57 | Winchester | 9,600 | 88 | $59,497 | $209,300 | $893 |
| 58 | Jackson | 68,098 | 89 | $51,552 | $195,000 | $1,094 |
| 59 | Oak Ridge | 32,088 | 89 | $71,000 | $233,500 | $1,076 |
| 60 | Tullahoma | 20,672 | 89 | $60,855 | $228,800 | $866 |
| 61 | Springfield | 18,985 | 89 | $58,741 | $235,200 | $1,107 |
| 62 | Munford | 6,459 | 89 | $86,492 | $234,600 | $1,086 |
| 63 | Elizabethton | 14,364 | 90 | $44,834 | $159,700 | $751 |
| 64 | Greenbrier | 6,960 | 90 | $82,308 | $310,400 | $1,253 |
| 65 | La Vergne | 38,944 | 91 | $80,418 | $273,700 | $1,714 |
| 66 | Cookeville | 35,544 | 91 | $48,501 | $263,800 | $885 |
| 67 | Maryville | 32,196 | 91 | $79,340 | $310,600 | $1,149 |
| 68 | Pigeon Forge | 6,345 | 91 | $53,839 | $258,700 | $953 |
| 69 | Chattanooga | 182,832 | 92 | $61,028 | $259,200 | $1,155 |
| 70 | Clarksville | 171,897 | 92 | $66,786 | $236,100 | $1,215 |
| 71 | Gallatin | 46,667 | 92 | $73,589 | $343,700 | $1,299 |
| 72 | Millersville | 5,885 | 92 | $70,411 | $280,800 | $1,336 |
| 73 | Smyrna | 55,066 | 93 | $78,409 | $326,700 | $1,366 |
| 74 | Atoka | 10,237 | 93 | $86,922 | $283,500 | $1,279 |
| 75 | Johnson City | 71,455 | 94 | $55,429 | $238,000 | $957 |
| 76 | Jonesborough | 6,056 | 94 | $63,155 | $247,900 | $1,103 |
| 77 | Bartlett | 56,998 | 95 | $100,660 | $283,700 | $1,658 |
| 78 | Lebanon | 41,951 | 95 | $71,320 | $359,300 | $1,210 |
| 79 | White House | 13,875 | 95 | $87,315 | $311,200 | $1,362 |
| 80 | Fairview | 9,751 | 95 | $88,333 | $354,900 | $1,203 |
| 81 | Collegedale | 11,185 | 96 | $64,905 | $332,700 | $1,435 |
| 82 | Murfreesboro | 157,547 | 97 | $76,241 | $365,100 | $1,376 |
| 83 | Goodlettsville | 17,598 | 97 | $65,898 | $355,000 | $1,370 |
| 84 | Oakland | 9,544 | 98 | $89,240 | $297,300 | $1,815 |
| 85 | Spring Hill | 53,585 | 101 | $106,658 | $452,400 | $1,738 |
| 86 | Hendersonville | 62,390 | 102 | $91,503 | $396,500 | $1,552 |
| 87 | Mount Juliet | 40,828 | 103 | $107,847 | $423,000 | $1,875 |
| 88 | Collierville | 51,212 | 104 | $134,319 | $458,300 | $1,574 |
| 89 | Arlington | 14,989 | 104 | $125,909 | $367,700 | $2,046 |
| 90 | Lakeland | 14,068 | 104 | $113,843 | $373,800 | $1,611 |
| 91 | Germantown | 40,812 | 111 | $144,799 | $441,200 | $1,760 |
| 92 | Farragut | 24,309 | 114 | $142,402 | $513,100 | $1,691 |
| 93 | Franklin | 85,575 | 115 | $115,000 | $646,300 | $1,861 |
| 94 | Signal Mountain | 8,861 | 117 | $139,714 | $482,300 | $1,843 |
| 95 | Nolensville | 14,545 | 120 | $170,068 | $695,100 | $2,557 |
| 96 | Thompson’s Station | 7,855 | 121 | $122,139 | $598,200 | $2,124 |
| 97 | Brentwood | 45,272 | 148 | $184,720 | $926,700 | $2,497 |