Washington, DC vs Chattanooga, TN
Moving from Washington to Chattanooga? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $326,370 median home) and taxes.
Washington 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $84,305 in Chattanooga, TN (−$15,695).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Chattanooga, TN: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 3,064 sqft in Chattanooga ($389 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Chattanooga, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $18,360 | −$10,632 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $4,704 | −$614 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $3,130 | −$725 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $1,608 | −$1,140 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $2,200 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $4,907 | −$12,803 |
| Total | $60,023 | $34,908 | −$25,115 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Chattanooga, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 92.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 4.49% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.25 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $326,370 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 0.2% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $163 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,530 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 0.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |