Charlotte, NC vs Chattanooga, TN
Moving from Charlotte to Chattanooga? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $326,370 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Chattanooga at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $94,890 in Chattanooga, TN (−$5,110).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Chattanooga, TN: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 3,064 sqft in Chattanooga ($195 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Chattanooga, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $18,360 | −$2,520 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $4,704 | −$130 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,130 | +$0 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,608 | −$144 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $2,200 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $4,907 | −$3,833 |
| Total | $41,336 | $34,908 | −$6,428 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Chattanooga, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 92.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 4.49% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.25 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $326,370 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | 0.2% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $1,530 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 0.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |