Lexington, KY vs Nashville, TN
Moving from Lexington to Nashville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,671 → $455,958 median home) and taxes.
Lexington vs Nashville 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 Lexington, KY, you'd need about $104,890 in Nashville, TN (+$4,890).
Livability — Lexington, KY: 72 · Nashville, TN: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,899 sqft in Lexington vs 2,193 sqft in Nashville ($173 vs $228 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lexington, KY | Nashville, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,336 | $21,576 | +$3,240 |
| Groceries | $4,721 | $4,715 | −$6 |
| Transportation | $3,870 | $3,130 | −$740 |
| Utilities | $1,620 | $1,608 | −$12 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,200 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,073 | $5,231 | −$2,842 |
| Total | $38,820 | $38,459 | −$361 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lexington, KY | Nashville, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 97.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.70% | 3.80% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 8.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.52 |
| Median home price | $327,671 | $455,958 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 5.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $173 | $228 |
| Median rent | $1,528 | $1,798 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.00% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.83% | 0.55% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.44% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $250 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.0 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 260 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |