Nashville, TN vs Washington, DC
Moving from Nashville to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($455,958 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Nashville vs Washington 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 Nashville, TN, you'd need about $119,653 in Washington, DC (+$19,653).
Livability — Nashville, TN: 63 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,193 sqft in Nashville vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($228 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Nashville, TN | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,576 | $28,992 | +$7,416 |
| Groceries | $4,715 | $5,318 | +$603 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,855 | +$725 |
| Utilities | $4,764 | $7,932 | +$3,168 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $3,343 | $9,000 | +$5,658 |
| Total | $37,707 | $55,277 | +$17,570 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Nashville, TN: 3.3% · Washington, DC: 9.0% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Nashville, TN | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.0 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.80% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.8% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.52 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $455,958 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.8× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.9% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $228 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,798 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 7.6% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.55% | 0.95% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.8 yrs | 80.8 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 10.5% | 7.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 70 | 87 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 40 | 31 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 93% | 93% |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 34 |
| Commute by driving alone | 72.6% | 56.8% |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 84.9 — Relatively Moderate | 82.9 — Relatively Moderate |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.40 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $80 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $121 | $271 |
| Home internet / mo | $80 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 600 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 29 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 50.5 | 41.8 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 4.7 | 13.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |
Ad · affiliate links
Find a job in Nashville or Washington
Openings in each metro, so you can check what your salary actually looks like before you move.